† Citizen voting-age population estimated for prior cycles; 2004 predates the ACS and is extrapolated. Source: ACS 5-year, table B05003.
——
D+60R+60
20042024
Boundary by 2024 margin · Precinct returns · VEST · MIT Election Lab
People and households
Who lives here
Exact values for this place, its state, and the United States.
Race · ethnicity · ancestry
Communities and origins
GroupMelroseMassachusettsUnited States
Irish21.9%18.6%9.4%
Italian14.5%11.1%4.8%
English11.6%9.7%9.5%
German7.5%5.4%12.5%
French3.8%4.7%1.6%
Polish3.7%3.4%2.2%
American3.7%3.3%5.3%
French Canadian2.8%——
Chinese3.7%2.5%1.3%
Asian Indian3.2%1.9%1.4%
Cambodian0.9%0.4%—
Vietnamese0.7%0.8%0.6%
Korean0.6%0.4%0.4%
Nepalese0.2%——
Taiwanese0.2%——
Filipino0.2%0.2%0.9%
Puerto Rican1.3%4.6%1.8%
Salvadoran0.7%1.1%0.7%
Mexican0.5%0.8%11.3%
Guatemalan0.4%0.8%0.5%
Dominican0.4%2.7%0.7%
Colombian0.3%0.6%0.4%
Ecuadorian0.2%0.3%—
African American†0.7%2.6%9.9%
Haitian0.3%1.1%0.3%
Hispanic or Latino counts residents of any race; the race groups count only their non-Hispanic residents, so the groups are mutually exclusive and sum to 100%. Expand a row to see ancestries reported within that group.
Age and life stage
Measure
Melrose
Massachusetts
United States
Median age
43.6
40.3
39.1
Age 18–24
4.9%
9.9%
9.2%
Age 65 and older
20.6%
17.9%
17.2%
Household economy
Measure
Melrose
Massachusetts
United States
Median household income
$133,953
$103,960
$84,427
Poverty rate
3.8%
10.1%
12.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher (25+)
62.0%
47.3%
35.6%
Languages at home
Measure
Melrose
Massachusetts
United States
Speaks a non-English language at home
22.4%
25.1%
22.3%
Spanish
4.1%
9.7%
13.6%
Russian, Polish, or other Slavic
2.4%
1.0%
0.7%
Other Indo-European
5.0%
6.1%
2.0%
Chinese (incl. Mandarin & Cantonese)
3.2%
2.2%
1.1%
Religious landscape
Measure
Melrose
Massachusetts
United States
Catholic
—
35.5%
18.6%
Evangelical Protestant
—
3.6%
16.5%
Unclaimed / not counted
—
51.4%
51.5%
American Community Survey 2024 5-year (CVAP, income, age, poverty, education, language, race, ancestry) · presidential returns from MIT Election Lab through 2024 · 2020 U.S. Religion Census (ASARB) — congregational adherents; unclaimed is the residual not counted by congregations.
Melrose, Massachusetts
presidential history
Presidential margin, 2004–2024
Democratic minus Republican, by election
Presidential margin over time
Year
Margin (D minus R)
2004
+21.0%
2008
+21.6%
2012
+21.8%
2016
+35.0%
2020
+46.9%
2024
+43.1%
DemocraticRepublican
6 presidential elections
Third column names the leading third-party or independent finisher. Source · MIT Election Lab · ICPSR · VEST (precinct-level 2024). Swing · margin change from the prior cycle. vs U.S. · margin relative to the national result that year. Third-party votes in 2012 are allocated from certified county totals by this place's share of each county's two-party vote — that cycle's precinct source records two-party splits. † 2004 sub-county results are estimated: the source's block-level detail for this cycle was unreliable — either county/municipality-level consolidated reporting (COVID-era) or a precinct-to-block allocation that misplaced votes — so the figures are allocated from the constituent county totals in proportion to the place and scaled to certified totals.
Year
Won
Democratic
Republican
Other
Margin
Swing
vs U.S.
Total
D
69.6%Harris12,000
26.5%Trump4,566
3.9%
D+43.1
R+3.8
D+44.6
17,245
D
72.4%Biden13,167
25.5%Trump4,634
2.1%
D+46.9
D+11.9
D+42.5
18,182
D
64.0%Clinton10,654
29.0%Trump4,820
7.0%
D+35.0
D+13.3
D+33.0
16,647
D
59.9%Obama9,462
38.1%Romney6,020
2.0%
D+21.8
D+0.2
D+17.9
15,797
D
59.9%Obama9,139
38.3%McCain5,846
1.7%
D+21.6
D+0.6
D+14.3
15,248
D
59.7%Kerry8,669
38.7%Bush5,620
1.7%
D+21.0
—
D+23.4
14,529
Melrose sits just nine miles north of Boston, drawing a heavily college-educated electorate that has shifted steadily toward Democratic margins in statewide races over the past two decades.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 46.9 points in 2020. Between 2020 and 2024 the city moved 3.8 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 43.1 points.
A population of 29,650, a 77% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $133,953 describe the city. The city's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Belmont and Arlington.
Akashic
Political twins — cities
The cities whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
In 2024, Melrose, Massachusetts voted Democratic by 43.1 points (D+43.1), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 17,245 votes cast, 12,000 went Democratic and 4,566 went Republican.
How many people live in Melrose, Massachusetts?
Melrose, Massachusetts has a population of 29,650 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Melrose, Massachusetts?
Median household income in Melrose, Massachusetts is $133,953 — above the national median of $80,734. The Massachusetts state median is $103,960.
What is the political history of Melrose, Massachusetts?
Akashic tracks 6 presidential elections in Melrose, Massachusetts from 2004 to 2024. Of those, 6 went Democratic and 0 went Republican.
