PlainZIP

Cambridge, MA · standard

ZIP Code 02142

Middlesex County, Massachusetts - Census ACS demographics, housing tenure, and business patterns, benchmarked against every US ZIP.

3,141
4,363/sq mi
$147,723
Median income
$1,954,500
Median home value
89.4%
Bachelor's or higher

The verdict

Cambridge pairs a top-decile household income with top-decile home values, in a suburban-density, renter-heavy area.

Top 4%
household income, US ZIPs
Top 1%
home value, US ZIPs
4,363
people per sq mi
7%
owner-occupied homes

Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2019–2023). Percentiles rank ZIP 02142 against every reporting US ZIP.

ZIP code 02142 covers 0.7 square miles in Cambridge, Middlesex County, Massachusetts (a standard USPS delivery area), with a modest 3,141 residents on file, a density of 4,363 people per square mile, in the New York time zone.

ZIP 02142 skews affluent, with a median household income of $147,723 (28% above the Massachusetts average), while per-capita income is $99,370. Poverty here runs at 7.5%, with unemployment measured at 2.2%. The typical home here is valued at $1,954,500 (226% above the state average); renters pay a median of $3,501 monthly, and 6.9% of units are owner-occupied.

This is a highly-educated ZIP: 89.4% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, the median age is 30.9, and the average commute is 23 minutes. A geography-based comparison follows: 10 ZIP codes within about 10 miles of 02142, plus 6 more within Middlesex County, give a clearer read than the national average alone.

Every figure on this page is sourced from the U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates (including median rent) and the FHFA House Price Index, no estimates, no proprietary scoring. Verify with Census →

Top industries in ZIP 02142

Top 5 sectors by establishment count in Cambridge, MA

Which industries have the most business establishments in ZIP 02142.

establishments

What this shows Establishment counts come from the Census ZIP Code Business Patterns program, which counts physical business locations rather than employees or revenue.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) As of 2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates + ZIP Code Business Patterns + FHFA HPI ACS demographics and median rent, ZBP business establishments, FHFA HPI for ZIP 02142, Cambridge, MA · 2023 Census ACS 5-Year Estimates use a rolling 60-month sample for stable small-geography estimates; ZBP updated annually; FHFA HPI updated quarterly/annually.

Quick Facts

3,141

Population

0.7

Area (sq mi)

4,363

People / sq mi

New York

Time Zone

standard

ZIP Type

Neighborhood Scorecard
Get an A-F grade across income, safety, housing, rent, education, commute, and childcare for this ZIP code.
View Scorecard →

Who lives in ZIP 02142?

30.9

Median Age

53.4%

Male

46.6%

Female

39.9%

Foreign-Born

White 41.8%
African American 16.1%
Asian 35.0%
American Indian or Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander 0.0%
Two or More Ethnicities 6.6%
Hispanic or Latino 5.4%

Hispanic or Latino is an ethnicity category from the Census Bureau and may overlap with other categories above.

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

How much do residents earn?

$147,723

Median Household Income

+28% vs state

$99,370

Per Capita Income

7.5%

Poverty Rate

2.2%

Unemployment Rate

23.1 min

Mean Commute Time

How ZIP 02142 ranks nationally

Cambridge, MA household income vs. every US ZIP code

Median household income, the full national distribution, with this ZIP marked

$147,723 Top 4% higher than 96% of 30,318 US ZIPs

$0–$20,000: 118 US ZIPs (0%). Below this entry. $20,000–$40,000: 1,573 US ZIPs (5%). Below this entry. $40,000–$60,000: 7,092 US ZIPs (23%). Below this entry. $60,000–$80,000: 9,980 US ZIPs (33%). Below this entry. $80,000–$100,000: 5,778 US ZIPs (19%). Below this entry. $100,000–$120,000: 2,855 US ZIPs (9%). Below this entry. $120,000–$140,000: 1,362 US ZIPs (4%). Below this entry. $140,000–$160,000: 686 US ZIPs (2%). This entry sits in this band. $160,000–$180,000: 364 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $180,000–$200,000: 186 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. $200,000–$220,000: 324 US ZIPs (1%). Above this entry. This ZIP $0 $200K+ every reporting US ZIP, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US ZIPs. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates · 2019–2023

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What is the education profile here?

High School Graduate or Higher 90.3%
Bachelor's Degree or Higher 89.4%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What does housing look like?

2,535

Total Housing Units

2,153

Occupied Units

382

Vacant Units

1.82

Avg Household Size

Occupancy Type

Owner 6.9%
Renter 93.1%

$1,954,500

Median Home Value

+226% vs state

$3,501

Median Rent

2005

Median Year Built

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023)

What businesses operate in this ZIP?

Census Bureau data shows 604 business establishments in ZIP 02142, employing approximately 31,327 people with a combined annual payroll of $7,458,214,000.

604

Businesses

31,327

Employees

$7.5B

Annual Payroll

16

Industry Sectors

Industry Establishments % of Total
Professional, scientific, and technical services 291 48.2%
Accommodation and food services 55 9.1%
Information 39 6.5%
Finance and insurance 36 6.0%
Other services (except public administration) 32 5.3%
Real estate and rental and leasing 31 5.1%
Wholesale trade 25 4.1%
Administrative and support and waste management and remediation services 22 3.6%
Health care and social assistance 18 3.0%
Manufacturing 13 2.1%
Management of companies and enterprises 11 1.8%
Educational services 9 1.5%
Retail trade 6 1.0%
Arts, entertainment, and recreation 6 1.0%
Construction 3 0.5%
Transportation and warehousing 3 0.5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP), 2023. Employment figures may include noise for disclosure avoidance.

Nearby ZIP Codes

Want a side-by-side? Compare 02142 vs 02141 →

ZIP 02142 vs its nearest neighbors, by population

Resident population of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

residents

What this shows Among its immediate neighbors, ZIP 02142 ranks #9 by population - useful context the national average alone can't give.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023

ZIP 02142 vs its nearest neighbors, by median income

Median household income of this ZIP and the closest reporting ZIP codes within ~10 miles.

median income

What this shows By household income, ZIP 02142 ranks #3 of 9 neighboring ZIPs, local affluence varies block to block, not just metro to metro.

Source U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 5-Year Estimates As of 2019–2023
ZIP Code City Population Distance
02141 Cambridge, MA 11,910 0.6 mi
02199 Boston, MA 1,146 1.0 mi
02114 Boston, MA 11,999 0.8 mi
02116 Boston, MA 20,628 0.8 mi
02108 Boston, MA 3,825 0.9 mi
02139 Cambridge, MA 36,349 1.1 mi
02203 Boston, MA 0 1.2 mi
02113 Boston, MA 6,915 1.4 mi
02109 Boston, MA 3,771 1.5 mi
02115 Boston, MA 28,441 1.6 mi

More ZIP Codes in Middlesex County

02148 standard
Malden, MA
Pop: 59,503
02155 standard
Medford, MA
Pop: 57,964
02149 standard
Everett, MA
Pop: 41,550
01801 standard
Woburn, MA
Pop: 38,903
01752 standard
Marlborough, MA
Pop: 38,499
01702 standard
Framingham, MA
Pop: 37,206

Related Areas

Middlesex County Cambridge, MA Massachusetts

Frequently Asked Questions

What county is ZIP code 02142 in? ▼
ZIP code 02142 (Cambridge) is located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Middlesex County contains multiple ZIP codes, see the full list at /counties/middlesex-ma.
What is the population of ZIP code 02142? ▼
ZIP code 02142 in Cambridge, MA has a population of 3,141 according to the Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates.
What is the median household income in ZIP 02142? ▼
The median household income in ZIP 02142 is $147,723, which is 94% above the national average of $76,288.
What is the average home value in ZIP 02142? ▼
The median home value in ZIP 02142 is $1,954,500, which is 603% above the national average of $278,155.
What is the demographic makeup of ZIP 02142? ▼
The largest racial group in ZIP 02142 is White at 41.8%. Hispanic or Latino residents make up 5.4% of the population.
How many businesses are in ZIP code 02142? ▼
ZIP code 02142 has 604 business establishments employing approximately 31,327 people, according to Census Bureau ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP) 2023 data.
What are the main industries in ZIP code 02142? ▼
The top industries by establishment count in ZIP 02142 are: Professional, scientific, and technical services (291), Accommodation and food services (55), Information (39). There are 16 industry sectors represented in total.
What is the education level in ZIP code 02142? ▼
In ZIP code 02142, 90.3% of residents aged 25+ have a high school diploma or higher, and 89.4% hold a bachelor's degree or higher. These figures come from the Census Bureau ACS 5-Year Estimates (2023).
What is the average commute time in ZIP 02142? ▼
The mean commute time for workers in ZIP code 02142 is 23.1 minutes according to Census ACS data. The national average is roughly 26 minutes, so commuters here spend less time traveling to work than typical.
What percentage of residents own vs. rent in ZIP 02142? ▼
In ZIP code 02142, approximately 6.9% of occupied housing units are owner-occupied and 93.1% are renter-occupied, based on Census ACS 2023 data.
What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 02142? ▼
The poverty rate in ZIP code 02142 is 7.5% according to Census Bureau ACS 2023 estimates. This measures the percentage of the population living below the federal poverty threshold.

Read our methodology to see how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.