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Data on this report is based on areas within the legal city boundary, outlined in black on the map. Any additional neighborhoods shown on the map are associated with the city by name and are included for reference only.

Brookline, MA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Brookline profile


Living in Brookline



Brookline is a larger medium-sized town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 62,962 people and 15 associated neighborhoods, Brookline is the 18th largest community in Massachusetts. Much of the housing stock in Brookline was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.

Brookline home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Brookline real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Brookline has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.

Also of interest is that Brookline has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Of important note, Brookline is also a town of artists. Brookline has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape Brookline’s character.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 26.98% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Another interesting thing about Brookline, despite not being a huge town, is that there is a relatively high proportion of people living here who are young, single, and upwardly-mobile professionals. This makes it a good choice for other relocating single professionals. Here, these young singles will find many others like themselves, with opportunities for friendships, socializing, romance, and fun.

One downside of living in Brookline is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Brookline, the average commute to work is 30.20 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the town, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative. In addition, it is also a pedestrian-friendly town. Many of Brookline’s neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.

For the size of the town, public transportation in Brookline is quite heavily used. Mostly, people who use it for their daily commute are taking the subway. For Brookline, the benefits are reduced air pollution and congestion on the highways.

If knowledge is power, Brookline is a pretty powerful place. 85.04% of the adults in Brookline have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Brookline in 2022 was $94,739, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $378,956 for a family of four. However, Brookline contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Brookline is an extremely ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Brookline home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Brookline residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Brookline include Irish, German, English, Italian, and Russian.

Brookline also has a high percentage of its population that was born in another country: 27.54%.

The most common language spoken in Brookline is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and Spanish.