Brockton vs New Bedford
The short version
- New Bedford is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Brockton area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $357,300 in New Bedford and $437,500 in Brockton.
- Households earn more in Brockton ($80,115 vs $56,981 median).
- New Bedford has the warmer winter: January highs of 39°F vs 35°F.
- Brockton gets far more snow: 69 inches a year vs 33.
- Commutes are shorter in New Bedford (25 vs 32 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Brockton, MA | New Bedford, MA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 106,134 | 101,834 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.5% | +0.8% |
| People per square mile | 4,975 | 5,091 |
| Median age | 36.7 | 37.0 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 22% | 17% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $80,115 | $56,981 |
| Median home value | $437,500 | $357,300 |
| Home value to income | 5.5× | 6.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,641 | $1,137 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 108.3 | 101.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 148.4 | 103.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $81,200 | $76,300 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 40% |
| Top state income tax | 9% | 9% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.25% | 6.25% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 31.5 | 24.7 |
| Work from home | 7% | 5% |
| Take public transit | 5% | 3% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 8.6% | 8.3% |
| Poverty rate | 13.5% | 20.6% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 35° / 19° | 39° / 21° |
| July high / low | 82° / 63° | 83° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 53 in | 46 in |
| Snowfall per year | 69 in | 33 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 9 | 7 |
| Nights below freezing | 117 | 123 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 5 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.4 | 89.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 71% | 70% |
| Home prices, past year | +3.2% | +4.7% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +39.7% | +51.9% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Brockton: May and July to September. New Bedford: May to September.
Full monthly tables: Brockton weather by month and New Bedford weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $81,200 in Brockton and $76,300 in New Bedford. Moving from Brockton to New Bedford, you would need about $70,500 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Brockton and New Bedford
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Brockton and New Bedford.
Which would you pick?
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