Boston Indicators analysis shows Greater Boston renters face daunting supply challenges in Boston suburbs
New report on ‘rental deserts’ finds just one-in-five suburban homes is rented, leading to affordability, diversity woes
December 17, 2025
Boston – A new report from Boston Indicators, the research center at the Boston Foundation, finds a significant number of Greater Boston suburbs have discouraged the development of rental housing over the decades, leading to a situation where more than half of the census tracts in those suburbs are considered ‘rental deserts,’ with severely limited rental capacity for renters of any income.
“Decades of restrictive policies blocking higher-density housing in favor of single-family homes have suppressed the production of renter-friendly housing and created rental deserts (where less than 20% of housing units are rentals),” said Aja Kennedy, Research Fellow at Boston Indicators and lead author of the report, entitled The Problem of Rental Deserts in Greater Boston, by the Numbers. “The data connect this lack of rental units to lower racial and economic diversity and a closing of opportunities for low- and moderate-income families to move into or remain in suburbs where they would otherwise contribute to a vibrant, healthy community.”
Geographic data draw a sharp difference in the distribution of rental deserts as one moves away from cities and their ‘streetcar suburbs’ into the region’s most developed suburbs. Using a community type system developed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the report finds that just 3 of 294 census tracts in the metro core communities of Greater Boston meet the definition of rental deserts (with less than 20% rental housing stock). That number rises to 13 percent of tracts in so-called “Streetcar Suburbs” and regional urban centers.
But outside these areas, renting becomes much more restrictive. 224 of the 388 census districts in the region’s Maturing and Developing Suburbs meet the rental desert criteria, and many of those communities maintain zoning policies that sharply limit the opportunity for new multi-family housing that is more likely to be rented. Greater Boston data show that single-family homes comprise 86 percent of homes in rental desert tracts, versus 43 percent in mixed-tenure areas, and just 8 percent in high-rental areas.
While Greater Boston is not the only area with rental deserts, the racial and economic gaps between rental deserts, mixed-tenant, and high rental census tracts in the region are striking. 83 percent of residents of Greater Boston rental deserts are white, compared with 62 percent in mixed-tenure areas and 44 percent in high-rental areas. Black residents make up just 2 percent of residents in rental deserts, while 5 percent are Hispanic and 7 percent are AAPI. In contrast, high rental tracts are 28 percent Hispanic, 15 percent AAPI, and 14 percent Black.
And perhaps not surprisingly, communities with fewer rental units are beyond the reach of many lower and middle-income households. 58 percent of households in Greater Boston’s rental deserts have incomes over $125,000 per year, while just 18 percent have annual incomes under $60,000. In high rental areas, the numbers are almost reversed, with 49 percent earning under $60,000 and 26 percent earning over $125,000.
The analysis, including interactive charts, is available for reading now from Boston Indicators.