Middlesex County · Massachusetts · Northeast · 36k residents
Watertown, MA: economy, jobs & business costs
The site-selection read on Watertown: labor costs, talent, corporate tax, energy, and business activity, with the Massachusetts median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
Average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $2,277/wk. Massachusetts's corporate income tax rate is 8%. Commercial electricity averages 20.9¢/kWh.
Compare Watertown side by side
Avg. weekly wage
$2,277/wk
Corporate income tax
8%
Bachelor's degree or higher
66.5%
Commercial electricity
20.9¢/kWh
Economic momentum
How fast Watertown's economy is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
2/100
Cooling
Ranks Watertown's jobs growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. This is economic activity, not commercial lease rates or vacancy. Not investment or relocation advice.
| ACS median home value | $784,600 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $400 |
| Property tax rate | 1.14% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $2,151/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $2,536/mo |
| State & local income tax | 5% |
| Sales tax | 6.25% |
| Corporate income tax | 8% |
| Avg. weekly wage | $2,277/wk |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 66.5% |
| Commercial electricity | 20.9¢/kWh |
| Businesses per 1k residents | 35.8/1k |
| Wage: Software developer | $166,090 |
| Wage: Registered nurse | $106,180 |
| Wage: General manager | $133,800 |
| Wage: Customer service | $49,920 |
| Wage: Warehouse worker | $37,700 |
| Wage: Heavy truck driver | $64,010 |
| Wage: Electrician | $79,910 |
| Wage: Retail salesperson | $36,850 |
| Cost of living index | 146 |
| Groceries index | 108 |
| Utilities | $245/mo |
| Transit pass | $90/mo |
| Gas price | $3.35/gal |
| Healthcare index | 108 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,900/mo |
| Median household income | $126,265 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.6% |
| Population | 36k |
| Crime index | 30/100 |
| School rating | 8.5/10 |
| Walkability | 30/100 |
| Disaster risk | 97/100 |
| Avg. commute | 30 min |
| Sunny days / year | 200 days |
| July high | 85°F |
| January low | 19°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | +1.3% |
| Home price MoM | -0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +2.4% |
| Rent MoM | +0.3% |
| Employment (jobs) YoY | -2.5% |
| Building permits YoY | — |
| Ocean coast | 10 mi |
| Big lake | 85 mi |
| Mountains | 104 mi |
| Major airport | 7 mi |
| Ski resort | 39 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Cambridge, MA · 119k
- Belmont, MA · 27k
- Newton, MA · 89k
- Arlington, MA · 46k
- Somerville, MA · 81k
Similar size
- Randolph Town, MA · 35k
- Lexington, MA · 34k
- Holyoke, MA · 38k
- Franklin Town, MA · 33k
- Amherst Town, MA · 38k
Real listings in Watertown
LoopNet ↗Crexi ↗CommercialCafe ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- Is Watertown a good place to run a business?
- Massachusetts's corporate income tax rate is 8%; average weekly wages in the surrounding labor market run $2,277/wk; commercial electricity averages 20.9¢/kWh. Weigh these against your own priorities in the business comparison tool.
- What is the cost of living in Watertown, MA?
- Watertown indexes at 146 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $2,536/mo and a acs median home value of $784,600.
- How much does a house cost in Watertown?
- The acs median home value in Watertown is $784,600 (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Watertown?
- A two-bedroom in Watertown rents for about $2,536/mo.