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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.

Watertown, MA
Real Estate & Demographic Data






Watertown profile


Living in Watertown



Watertown is a medium-sized city located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 35,022 people and ten associated neighborhoods, Watertown is the 48th largest community in Massachusetts. Watertown has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic cities in the country.

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

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

And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Watertown 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.

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

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 22.54% 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.

Watertown, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

Like elsewhere in America, most people in Watertown use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Watertown‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding the bus. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.

Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in Watertown. 66.38% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.

The per capita income in Watertown in 2018 was $69,498, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $277,992 for a family of four.

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

Foreign born people are also an important part of Watertown's cultural character, accounting for 25.32% of the city’s population.

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