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GreatPlacesToRetire |
Retire To Cambridge, MA
City Report
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Cambridge, Massachusetts is one of the great places in the U.S. for that retirement or second home. Find city facts on home sales prices, air quality, water quality, medical care, cost of living, weather and other demographics. | |
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Check the EPA map for superfund cleanups in the area or the interactive map for a birds-eye view of the city. Links in the data below provide a list of cities similar to Cambridge in that certain data category. Bookmark this page and check back monthly for home price updates. 
Boston at night from Cambridge, Massachusetts
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Cambridge, Massachusetts
| Population | |||
| . | 1990 | 2000 | 2007 |
| Middlesex County | blank | 1,465,396 | blank |
| Cambridge | 95,802 | 101,355 | 101,388 |
| Cambridge Home Sales Prices (new & existing homes) |
||||
| . | Average | Annual Average | Yr-Over-Yr Change | |
| 2009 | . | $508,098 | -9.5% | |
| Dec | $603,049 | . | . | |
| Nov | $616,263 | . | . | |
| Oct | $608,775 | . | . | |
| Sep | $436,815 | . | . | |
| Aug | $574,612 | . | . | |
| Jul | $456,833 | . | . | |
| Jun | $469,481 | . | . | |
| May | $467,034 | . | . | |
| Apr | $526,282 | . | . | |
| Mar | $595,097 | . | . | |
| Feb | $408,314 | . | . | |
| Jan | $406,071 | . | . | |
| 2008 | . | $561,369 | 8.9% | |
| 2007 | . | $515,400 | -5.6% | |
| 2006 | . | $545,710 | -3.4% | |
| 2005 | . | $565,146 | 5.7% | |
| 2004 | . | $534,917 | 6.1% | |
| 2003 | . | $504,222 | 2.5% | |
| 2002 | . | $491,819 | 0.2% | |
| 2001 | . | $490,615 | na | |
Local  Resources: | ||||
| Cost of Living (2009) | |
| 164% | GPTR 99 City Average 121% |
| Home Sales Price Comparison (2009) |
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| . | . | GPTR 99 City Avg |
| Near Large City | Boston | na |
| Home Sales Price in Boston | $348,000 | $220,000 |
| Home Sales Price Bargain Index | 146% of Boston home prices | 145% |
| Cambridge Distance to Nearest Large City (pop. > 200,000) |
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| 4 miles | to Boston | GPTR 99 City Average 97 miles |
| Air Quality Boston Metro Area |
||||
| . | Good Days | Moderate Days | Unhealthy for Sensitive Persons Days | Unhealthy Days |
| 2007 | 212 | 131 | 20 | 2 |
| 2006 | 243 | 116 | 6 | 0 |
| 2005 | 208 | 144 | 12 | 1 |
| 2004 | 211 | 151 | 4 | 0 |
| 2003 | 199 | 156 | 9 | 1 |
| 2002 | 222 | 115 | 19 | 9 |
| 2001 | 205 | 142 | 16 | 2 |
| Cambridge Water Quality |
|||
| . | % Good | % Threatened | % Impaired |
| 2006 | na | na | na |
| 2004 | 100 | 0 | 0 |
| 2002 | 20 | 0 | 80 |
| Taxes (2008) |
|||||
| blank | % of Income | Days Worked to Pay | State Rank | % of Income (99 City Avg) |
Days Worked to Pay (99 City Avg) |
| State and Local Tax | 9.5% | -- | 23* | 9.3% | -- |
| Federal, State and Local Tax | -- | 118 days | 6* | -- | 112 days |
| * State rank of 1 pays the highest taxes | |||||
| Cambridge Recreation |
||
| . | # of Parks | # of Parks (99 City Avg) |
| National Parks, Historic Sites, etc. (managed by National Park Service) |
Cape Cod National Seashore, John F. Kennedy National Historic Site plus 17 more | 7 |
| National Campgrounds, Lodges, etc. (other federal agency-managed sites) |
8 | 26 |
| State Parks, Sites, etc. | 44 | 11 |
| Crime Report (crimes per 10,000 population) |
|||
| . | Total Crimes | Violent Crimes | Property Crimes |
| 2008 | 351 | 41 | 310 |
| 2007 | 399 | 42 | 357 |
| 2006 | 371 | 45 | 326 |
| 2005 | 378 | 49 | 329 |
| 2004 | 427 | 50 | 377 |
| 2003 | 389 | 50 | 339 |
| 2002 | 419 | 48 | 371 |
| 2001 | 433 | 46 | 387 |
| Cambridge Climate (1971-2000) |
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| . | . | 99 City Avg | January - Avg Low Temp | 22 F | 27 F |
| January - Avg Daily Temp | 29 F | 37 F |
| July - Avg Daily Temp | 74 F | 74 F |
| July - Avg High Temp | 82 F | 86 F |
| Avg Annual Precipitation | 43 in | 35 in |
| Elevation | |
| 20 feet | GPTR 99 City Average 1,660 feet |
| Cambridge Natural Hazards |
||
| . | Risk Level | 99 City Average |
| Total Hazard Risk | Moderate | Moderate |
| Earthquake | .6% | .6% |
| Tsunami | No Risk | No Risk |
| Hurricane | 20-40 | 0 |
| Flood | Very High | Very High |
| Tornado | Low | Low |
| Volcano | No Risk | No Risk |
| Wildfire | Low | Low |
| Demographics (2006) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| White | 65.1% | 83.3% |
| Black | 13.4% | 6.9% |
| Native American | 0.5% | 0.8% |
| Asian | 15.8% | 3.2% |
| Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander | 0.0% | 0.2% |
| Other | 3.0% | 3.3% |
| Multiple Races | 2.3% | 2.4% |
| Hispanic (of any race) | 6.5% | 8.7% |
| Cambridge Median Age (2006) |
|
| 30 years | GPTR 99 City Average 36 years |
| Family Income & Housing (2006) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Average |
| Total Housing Units | 44,725 | 26,131 |
| Occupied Housing Units | 95% | 86% |
| Vacant Housing Units (seasonal or recreational use) | 5% | 14% |
| Home Ownership Rate | 32% | 54% |
| Median Family Income | $59,423 | $55,423 |
| Average Family Size | 2.83 | 2.91 |
| Cambridge Medical Care (2009) |
||||
| Hospital/Medical Center | City | Distance from City | Accredited - Dept. of HHS, AOA or JCAHO | GPTR 99 City Average |
| Cambridge Health Alliance | Cambridge | In the city | Yes | 4 accredited hospitals within 10 miles of city |
| Mount Auburn Hospital | Cambridge | In the city | Yes | |
| Youville Hospital and Rehab Center | Cambridge | In the city | Yes | |
| 32 more hospital(s) can be viewed at the Medical Care page. | ||||
| Population Density (2007) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| Land Area (sq mi) | 6 | 31 |
| People Per Square Mile | 15,842 | 2,035 |
| Cambridge Building Permits (single family homes) |
||
| 2008 | 12 | |
| 2007 | 25 | |
| 2006 | 12 | |
| 2005 | 47 | |
| 2004 | 39 | |
| 2003 | 22 | |
| 2002 | 45 | |
| 2001 | 16 | |
| 2000 | 13 | |
| Heating and Cooling Degree Days (avg annual) |
||
| . | . | 99 City Avg |
| Total Degree Days | 6,407 | 5,926 |
| HDD | 5,630 | 4,677 |
| CDD | 777 | 1,249 |
EPA Hazardous Material Cleanup Sites
(Cambridge Area)
Legend: Small green circles (older style maps) or multi-colored circles (newer style maps: click here
for legend) indicate 1)Superfund Sites 2)Federal Facilities 3)RCRA Corrective Action Sites
and 4)Brownfields Properties
(EPA hazardous material cleanup sites defined at Environment link)
Cambridge Area Interactive Maps
(Click map icons to Zoom In/Out or change map format. Click map and drag mouse to pan.)
(Above: Click Street View icons to Zoom In/Out or Rotate view. Click street arrows to navigate.)
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