NAICS 53

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA

Metro Market Score 66.6 (Difficult), ranked #306 of 330 metros. 5,912 establishments, 40,661 jobs.

Metro Market Score 66.6

Favorable 0-35

Moderate 35-48

Challenging 48-60

Difficult 60+

Difficult

ⓘ Lower is better. Relative to national real estate and rental and leasing average.

💰High-Cost Market

Boston-Cambridge-Newton scores 66.6 on the Metro Market Score for real estate and rental and leasing, placing it in the bottom 10%. High wage costs, strong existing competition, or slowing growth contribute to tougher entry conditions compared to most metros.

Industry Concentration

73.3

LQ: 0.97

Rank #242 of 330 metros

Wage Competitiveness

99.7

$113,546 avg wage

Growth Trend

↓ 32.7

Employment growth index

Rank #223 of 330 metros

Wage Pressure

15.8

YoY wage change index

5,912 Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Firms in Boston-Cambridge-Newton

5,912

Establishments

-2.2% YoY

40,661

Total Employment

-1.0% YoY

$113,546

Average Annual Wage

+2.6% YoY

0.97

Location Quotient

Below national avg

Within Massachusetts

#5 of 6

real estate and rental and leasing metros in state

Massachusetts state rank

#5 of 51

for real estate and rental and leasing entry risk

vs State Median

+5.2

worse than median (61.4)

Boston-Cambridge-Newton vs Massachusetts Statewide

How this metro's real estate and rental and leasing market compares to Massachusetts overall. The state ranks #5/51 for entry risk.

Measure	Boston-Cambridge-Newton	MA Statewide
Overall Score	66.6 Difficult	27.7 Low
Score Type	Metro Market Score	Entry Risk Score
Rank	#306 of 330 metros	#5 of 51 states

Metro and state scores use different methodologies (metro has 4 QCEW-based metrics; state adds BDS survival and momentum data). Direct score comparisons are approximate.

Other Industries in Boston-Cambridge-Newton

Accommodation and Food Services 54.2 Retail Trade 56.0 Construction 63.2 Other Services 67.7 Administrative and Support Services 69.2 Healthcare and Social Assistance 70.3 Information 72.6 Finance and Insurance 79.1 Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services 80.3

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other Massachusetts Metros

Amherst Town-Northampton 35.1 #99/330 Pittsfield 48.2 #204/330 Springfield 60.2 #275/330 Worcester 61.4 #284/330 Barnstable Town 67.0 #307/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing Metros With Similar Conditions

Metros within 5 points of Boston-Cambridge-Newton's 66.6 score. Useful when comparing markets with comparable entry profiles.

Boulder, CO 66.6 #305/330 Barnstable Town, MA 67.0 #307/330 Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN 67.1 #308/330 Casper, WY 67.6 #309/330 Kalamazoo-Portage, MI 67.6 #310/330 Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL 65.4 #304/330 Bozeman, MT 65.3 #303/330 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT 65.2 #302/330 Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL 65.1 #301/330 Asheville, NC 65.0 #300/330

Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in States Bordering Massachusetts

State-level entry risk for real estate and rental and leasing in adjacent states. Use this to weigh cross-border options.

New Hampshire 29.6 #7/51 Vermont 30.1 #9/51 New York 37.6 #21/51 Rhode Island 37.8 #22/51 Connecticut 45.9 #37/51

Browse Real Estate and Rental and Leasing in Other States

State-level entry risk reports for real estate and rental and leasing across all 51 markets, sorted by rank.

About Metro Market Score: A weighted composite of industry concentration (25%), wage competitiveness (25%), wage pressure (20%), and employment growth trend (30%). Lower scores indicate more favorable conditions. For Boston-Cambridge-Newton's real estate and rental and leasing sector, the wage competitiveness component (99.7) has the strongest pull on the composite. Metro scores use QCEW data only (no BDS survival data at metro level). Read full methodology →

Data Sources

Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), Bureau of Labor Statistics. MSA-level establishment counts, employment, wages, and location quotients for the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH MSA area.

Data period: 2024. Last updated: April 2026.

Metro Market Assessment