Loneliness in Greater Boston: Brookline, Boston and Cambridge Compared
In short: In 2023, an estimated 39.3% of adults in Boston and 37.0% in Cambridge felt lonely at least sometimes, compared with 32.3% in Brookline and 34.6% across Massachusetts, according to CDC PLACES model-based estimates.
Loneliness here means what the CDC measures: the share of adults who say they feel lonely always, usually or sometimes. We compared the CDC's estimates for Brookline, Boston, Cambridge, Newton and Somerville, and for all 22 cities and towns in the Metropolitan Area Planning Council's Inner Core, with Massachusetts as a whole.
Key numbers
39.3%
of adults in Boston feel lonely always, usually or sometimes (likely range 35.7% to 43.0%).
Source: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023)
32.3%
in Brookline, the 7th lowest of the 22 Inner Core cities and towns. Newton: 32.4%.
Source: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023)
36.8% vs 33.7%
adults who feel lonely in the 22 Inner Core cities and towns together, against the rest of Massachusetts.
Source: our calculation from CDC PLACES census tract estimates, 2025 release
41.0%
in Chelsea, the highest of the 22. Needham had the lowest, 29.6%.
Source: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023)
28.2% to 51.1%
the range of estimates across Boston's 195 census tracts.
Source: CDC PLACES census tract estimates, 2025 release
Brookline, Boston, Cambridge, Newton and Somerville
Boston, Cambridge and Somerville are above the Massachusetts figure of 34.6%; Brookline and Newton are below it. Brookline is also below the state on lack of social and emotional support (20.4% against 23.7%).
| Place | Lonely | Likely range | Lonely, age-adjusted | Lack social and emotional support | Ever told they have depression | Frequent mental distress |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | 32.3% | 28.9% to 35.6% | 31.7% | 20.4% | 21.8% | 13.6% |
| Boston | 39.3% | 35.7% to 43.0% | 37.2% | 25.1% | 24.0% | 18.0% |
| Cambridge | 37.0% | 33.9% to 40.3% | 33.8% | 21.9% | 24.5% | 16.0% |
| Newton | 32.4% | 29.5% to 35.4% | 33.3% | 19.2% | 22.7% | 13.1% |
| Somerville | 37.0% | 33.8% to 40.0% | 34.1% | 21.7% | 26.6% | 17.0% |
| Massachusetts | 34.6% | 23.7% | 24.3% | 16.7% |
Share of adults, 2023. "Likely range" is the CDC's 95% confidence interval for the loneliness estimate. Massachusetts figures are our calculation from CDC PLACES census tract estimates, 2025 release. Source: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023).
All 22 Inner Core cities and towns
Across the Inner Core, 11 cities and towns are above the state figure and 11 below it. Chelsea has the highest estimate (41.0%) and Needham the lowest (29.6%).
Bars start at zero; the black line marks Massachusetts (34.6%, our calculation from CDC PLACES census tract estimates, 2025 release). Brookline in tan; Boston, Cambridge, Newton and Somerville in dark green. Source: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023).
| City or town | Lonely | Likely range | Lack support | Depression | Frequent distress |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelsea | 41.0% | 37.2% to 44.8% | 29.4% | 22.7% | 19.0% |
| Everett | 40.0% | 36.8% to 43.3% | 28.9% | 25.9% | 20.0% |
| Boston | 39.3% | 35.7% to 43.0% | 25.1% | 24.0% | 18.0% |
| Revere | 38.7% | 35.1% to 42.6% | 26.8% | 23.4% | 17.9% |
| Malden | 38.1% | 35.0% to 41.2% | 26.8% | 23.3% | 16.8% |
| Cambridge | 37.0% | 33.9% to 40.3% | 21.9% | 24.5% | 16.0% |
| Somerville | 37.0% | 33.8% to 40.0% | 21.7% | 26.6% | 17.0% |
| Waltham | 36.6% | 33.5% to 39.8% | 22.8% | 24.8% | 16.6% |
| Medford | 36.1% | 33.0% to 39.3% | 22.4% | 25.4% | 16.4% |
| Lynn | 35.7% | 32.3% to 39.3% | 28.5% | 21.9% | 17.6% |
| Quincy | 35.1% | 31.5% to 38.5% | 26.2% | 21.4% | 15.5% |
| Winthrop | 34.3% | 30.9% to 38.0% | 21.2% | 24.1% | 15.7% |
| Watertown | 33.4% | 30.4% to 36.5% | 20.1% | 24.7% | 14.7% |
| Melrose | 32.8% | 29.9% to 36.0% | 19.9% | 24.7% | 14.5% |
| Newton | 32.4% | 29.5% to 35.4% | 19.2% | 22.7% | 13.1% |
| Brookline | 32.3% | 28.9% to 35.6% | 20.4% | 21.8% | 13.6% |
| Saugus | 32.3% | 29.0% to 35.7% | 23.9% | 23.2% | 16.1% |
| Dedham | 32.2% | 28.8% to 35.7% | 21.7% | 22.6% | 14.8% |
| Milton | 32.2% | 28.9% to 35.6% | 21.5% | 21.8% | 14.2% |
| Arlington | 31.4% | 28.5% to 34.3% | 18.8% | 23.4% | 13.2% |
| Belmont | 31.2% | 28.4% to 34.2% | 18.8% | 22.2% | 12.4% |
| Needham | 29.6% | 26.2% to 32.9% | 18.9% | 21.1% | 12.4% |
Share of adults, 2023. Lack support: sometimes, rarely or never get the social and emotional support they need. Depression: ever told by a health professional they have a depressive disorder. Frequent distress: mental health not good on 14 or more of the past 30 days. Source: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023).
Are Boston-area residents lonelier than the rest of the state?
On loneliness, yes, by these estimates: 36.8% of adults in the Inner Core feel lonely at least sometimes, against 33.7% in the rest of Massachusetts, a gap of 3.1 points. The other measures do not follow the same pattern. Lack of social and emotional support is about the same, and the shares of adults ever told they have depression and with frequent mental distress are no higher in the Inner Core than in the rest of the state.
| Share of adults who... | Inner Core (22 cities and towns) | Rest of Massachusetts | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely | 36.8% | 33.7% | 34.6% |
| Lack social and emotional support | 24.0% | 23.6% | 23.7% |
| Ever told they have depression | 23.7% | 24.5% | 24.3% |
| Frequent mental distress | 16.7% | 16.7% | 16.7% |
All four rows are our calculation from CDC PLACES census tract estimates, 2025 release: tract estimates weighted by each tract's adult population.
Differences inside each city
Town averages hide a wide spread. Boston's 195 census tracts run from 28.2% to 51.1%, and Cambridge's from 29.1% to 46.6%. Brookline's range is narrower: 29.7% to 37.7%.
Each bar runs from the lowest to the highest tract estimate in the city or town; the dot is the middle (median) tract and the number on the right is how many tracts there are. Scale from zero; the black line marks Massachusetts. Source: CDC PLACES census tract estimates, 2025 release; tracts placed in towns with the Census Bureau's 2020 block assignment file.
| Place | Census tracts | Lowest tract | Middle tract | Highest tract |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brookline | 15 | 29.7% | 32.3% | 37.7% |
| Boston | 195 | 28.2% | 38.9% | 51.1% |
| Cambridge | 33 | 29.1% | 35.1% | 46.6% |
| Newton | 19 | 28.4% | 31.6% | 41.8% |
| Somerville | 25 | 34.2% | 36.6% | 43.7% |
Age explains part of the gap
Age-adjusted figures compare places as if they all had the same age mix. In Boston, Cambridge and Somerville the age-adjusted loneliness figure is 2 or more points lower than the plain (crude) figure: 37.2%, 33.8% and 34.1%. So part of their higher figures reflects the ages of the adults who live there. In Brookline the two figures are close (32.3% and 31.7%).
What this means for people looking for support in Greater Boston
- Feeling lonely is common here. By the CDC's estimates, about one in three adults in Massachusetts, and nearly two in five in Boston, feel lonely at least sometimes. If you feel that way too, you are far from the only one.
- Lonely is not the same as alone. The CDC describes loneliness as the gap between the connection a person wants and the connection they have, which is why it can show up in a busy city, at college or inside a relationship.
- Where you live is only part of the picture. Estimates vary as much between neighborhoods of the same city as between towns, and they are modeled figures for whole populations, not a measure of any one person's life.
- You do not need a diagnosis to talk to someone. Loneliness on its own is not a diagnosis. Dr. Rabin sees adults and college students for individual therapy in Brookline and by telehealth anywhere in Massachusetts, and the first consultation is free.
Method
The CDC's PLACES project estimates health measures for every U.S. city, town and census tract. It combines answers to the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a phone survey of adults, with Census population data in a statistical model (multilevel regression and poststratification). We used the 2025 release, which models BRFSS 2023 answers, downloaded on November 12, 2026.
The four measures, as the CDC defines them (social needs, health outcomes, health status): adults who feel lonely always, usually or sometimes; adults who sometimes, rarely or never get the social and emotional support they need; adults ever told by a doctor, nurse or other health professional that they have a depressive disorder; and adults whose mental health was not good on 14 or more of the past 30 days. We compare places on the crude figure (the share of all adults) and show the age-adjusted figure next to it.
The Inner Core is the 22 cities and towns that the Metropolitan Area Planning Council lists for its Inner Core Committee. For each of them the CDC's place estimate covers the whole city or town: its census tracts add up to the same adult population.
The Massachusetts, Inner Core and rest-of-state figures are ours. We averaged the CDC's census tract estimates, weighting each tract by its adult population (1,597 of the state's 1,620 tracts have estimates). We placed each tract in a city or town with the Census Bureau's 2020 block assignment file: a tract counts toward a town when at least 90% of its census blocks are in it. As a check, our Inner Core figure from tracts (36.8%) matches the one from the CDC's own town estimates (36.8%).
Limits of the data
- Estimates, not counts. PLACES figures come from a model, not from surveying each town. The likely ranges overlap for many towns (Brookline 28.9% to 35.6%, Newton 29.5% to 35.4%), so small differences between towns do not mean much.
- Two kinds of statewide figure. The CDC's direct survey figure for Massachusetts in 2023 is 32.0% (likely range 30.4% to 33.5%), lower than our PLACES-based 34.6%. The two are made differently, so we compare towns with the PLACES-based figure, which comes from the same model.
- Neighborhood figures follow who lives there. Tract estimates are driven largely by residents' age, sex, race and ethnicity and other characteristics that feed the model. They are not surveys of each neighborhood, and they say nothing about students or any other group in particular.
- One year only. The BRFSS question changed in 2023 from feeling socially isolated to feeling lonely, so these figures cannot be compared with earlier years.
- Adults only. PLACES covers people aged 18 and over.
Sources
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Place Data, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023): data.cdc.gov/d/eav7-hnsx
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES: Local Data for Better Health, Census Tract Data, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023): data.cdc.gov/d/cwsq-ngmh
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, PLACES measure definitions: health-related social needs, health outcomes, health status
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), Mental Health Indicators, Massachusetts, 2023: data.cdc.gov/d/5eh7-pjx8
- U.S. Census Bureau, 2020 Census block assignment files, Massachusetts: census.gov block assignment files
- Metropolitan Area Planning Council, Subregions (Inner Core Committee member list, viewed November 12, 2026): mapc.org subregions
Cite this study
Rabin, Rebecca, PsyD. "Loneliness in Greater Boston: Brookline, Boston and Cambridge Compared." Published November 12, 2026. https://www.rebeccarabinpsyd.com/research/greater-boston-loneliness. Data: CDC PLACES, 2025 release (BRFSS 2023).
Download the data (CSV): every Massachusetts city and town in the CDC file (247 places), four measures with likely ranges and age-adjusted figures, the Inner Core flagged, plus our Massachusetts, Inner Core and rest-of-state figures. Free to reuse under CC BY 4.0 with credit to Rebecca Rabin, PsyD and a link to this page.
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This page reports public, population-level data. It is general information, not medical advice or a diagnosis. If you are in crisis, call or text 988, or call 911 in an emergency.
Looking for a therapist in Brookline?
Dr. Rebecca Rabin, PsyD sees adults and college students for individual therapy, in person in Brookline and online anywhere in Massachusetts. A free 15-minute phone consultation is a low-pressure place to start. Read how individual relationship therapy in Brookline works.