Home Value Trail

States › Massachusetts › Middlesex County › ZIP 02140

ZIP code

ZIP 02140

Middlesex County · Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH · Massachusetts

FHFA annual index 1986–2021Developmental ZIP indexIndex vintage March 31, 2026
FHFA house price index for ZIP 02140, 1986 to 2021, with the national index rebased to the same start and NBER recessions shadedRecession 1990–91Recession 2001Recession 2007–09Recession 2020020040060080019901995200020052010201520202025United StatesPeak 2018: 7232021: 647
ZIP 02140 (100 = first year)United States, rebased to the same startNBER recessionPeak before the latest index value

FHFA notes: The FHFA HPI is a broad measure of the movement of single-family house prices. The FHFA HPI is a weighted, repeat-sales index, meaning that it measures average price changes in repeat sales or refinancings on the same properties. FHFA describes its ZIP code indexes as developmental: they may be revised as new data arrive or methods change, and the index does not give a dollar value for any home.

Middlesex County, Massachusetts ZIP 02140 has 36 years of index history. Since 1986 the FHFA index has moved from 100 to 647, a change of +547.3%. FHFA's most recent value for this area is for 2021, so every span here ends in 2021.

Over the ten years to 2021 the index rose +84.8%, about +6.3% a year: well above Middlesex County (+56.6%), well above Massachusetts (+52.5%) and well above the national index (+58.3%). The change over 2020–2021 was −3.0%.

By decade, the strongest was the 1990s (+99.9%) and the weakest the 2000s (+50.7%).

From its 2005 peak the index fell −10.1% to a 2007 low and regained the peak in 2010.

Building activity is measured at county level: Middlesex County authorised 2,876 housing units in the 12 months to August 2026, 1.7 per 1,000 residents, 30% of them single-family.

−3.0%1 year, 2020–2021US +11.6%
+23.5%5 years, 2016–2021US +33.4%
+84.8%10 years, 2011–2021+6.3% a year annualised
+178.9%since 2000US +96.1%

Same span, five levels

Change in the FHFA indexZIP 02140Middlesex CountyBoston-Cambridge-Newton areaMassachusettsUnited States
1 year (2020–2021)−3.0%+9.1%+10.6%+11.0%+11.6%
5 years (2016–2021)+23.5%+30.1%+33.0%+32.7%+33.4%
10 years (2011–2021)+84.8%+56.6%+57.0%+52.5%+58.3%
20 years (2001–2021)+159.1%+85.7%+87.3%+84.1%+83.8%
Since 2000+178.9%+106.9%+109.2%+105.2%+96.1%
Since 1986+547.3%+240.7%+234.2%+221.3%+239.5%
10-year annualised+6.3%+4.6%+4.6%+4.3%+4.7%
20-year annualised+4.9%+3.1%+3.2%+3.1%+3.1%

Every column uses FHFA's annual all-transactions index family and the same start and end years, so the figures are directly comparable. A dash means the level has no index for that span.

Decade by decade

DecadeChangeUnited States
1990s (1990–2000)+99.9%+33.9%
2000s (2000–2010)+50.7%+29.7%
2010s (2010–2020)+90.8%+35.5%
2020s so far (2020–2021)−3.0%+11.6%

FHFA reports each index with a value of 100 in its base period, the first year the area has enough transactions (1986 here). A decade's change is the index at the end of the decade divided by the index at the start, so it does not depend on the base year; the United States column covers the same years. Decades before 1986 are not shown.

Peak-to-low declines

Falls of 5% or more from a previous high in the annual index, and the year the earlier peak was regained.

PeakLowDeclinePeak regained
20182021−10.5%not by 2021
20052007−10.1%2010
19891990−8.6%1995

Building permits in Middlesex County

Permits are reported by county and by permit-issuing place, not by ZIP code. Housing units authorised in Middlesex County, latest 12 months.

Housing units authorised in Middlesex County by month, Sep 2025 to Aug 20260200400600Sep 2025: 128 units (58 single-family, 70 in multi-unit buildings)Sep 2025Oct 2025: 174 units (80 single-family, 94 in multi-unit buildings)Oct 2025Nov 2025: 149 units (57 single-family, 92 in multi-unit buildings)Nov 2025Dec 2025: 238 units (59 single-family, 179 in multi-unit buildings)Dec 2025Jan 2026: 87 units (56 single-family, 31 in multi-unit buildings)Jan 2026Feb 2026: 136 units (42 single-family, 94 in multi-unit buildings)Feb 2026Mar 2026: 190 units (66 single-family, 124 in multi-unit buildings)Mar 2026Apr 2026: 288 units (69 single-family, 219 in multi-unit buildings)Apr 2026May 2026: 551 units (73 single-family, 478 in multi-unit buildings)May 2026Jun 2026: 427 units (129 single-family, 298 in multi-unit buildings)Jun 2026Jul 2026: 174 units (97 single-family, 77 in multi-unit buildings)Jul 2026Aug 2026: 334 units (81 single-family, 253 in multi-unit buildings)Aug 2026

Housing units authorised in Middlesex County by month, Sep 2025 to Aug 2026single-family2+ unit buildings

2,876units authorised, 12 months to August 2026+15.4% on the previous 12 months
1.7units per 1,000 residentsMassachusetts 1.9 · US 4.1
30%single-family share1,887 units in 5+ unit buildings

Full permit history and every city in Middlesex County

Other ZIP codes in Middlesex County

Ranked by ten-year change in the FHFA index.

ZIP1 year10 yearsSince 2000Index through
02141+5.5%+129.5%+288.9%2021
01850+4.0%+122.3%+215.9%2025
01431+10.9%+111.2%+149.2%2025
01469+5.5%+108.9%+165.5%2025
01851+3.6%+108.4%+225.1%2025
01854+1.4%+108.4%+220.2%2025
02149+4.9%+107.4%+223.1%2025
01852+2.7%+103.2%+198.0%2025
01863+8.7%+102.9%+206.7%2025
01432+6.5%+102.4%+169.2%2025
01474+6.0%+102.0%+147.0%2025
02148+3.1%+100.0%+219.5%2025

All 78 ZIP codes in Middlesex County

Questions and answers

How much have home values in ZIP 02140 risen over 10 years?

The FHFA house price index for 02140 rose +84.8% between 2011 and 2021, about +6.3% a year compounded. Over five years the change was +23.5% and over one year −3.0%.

How does 02140 compare with Middlesex County?

Over the same ten years to 2021, Middlesex County rose +56.6%, Massachusetts +52.5% and the United States +58.3%, against +84.8% for the ZIP.

What happened to prices in 02140 after 2007?

The index peaked in 2005, fell −10.1% to its 2007 low and passed the earlier peak again in 2010. Nationally the fall was −21.3% from 2007 to 2012.

How many homes are being built in 02140?

Building permits are published by place and county, not by ZIP. Middlesex County authorised 2,876 housing units in the 12 months to August 2026, +15.4% on the previous 12 months. The county page lists permits by month and by city.

Where does the index for this ZIP come from?

From the Federal Housing Finance Agency's annual five-digit ZIP code house price index (all-transactions), last updated March 31, 2026. FHFA labels the ZIP-level indexes developmental: they are calibrated on appraisal values and sales prices for mortgages bought or guaranteed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and may be revised. The index tracks price changes for the same homes over time; it does not give a dollar value for any home.

Provenance

Index: Federal Housing Finance Agency, annual house price index for five-digit ZIP codes (all-transactions, developmental), last updated March 31, 2026, values 1986–2021, public domain. County, state and national comparison series are FHFA's annual indexes for those levels from the same release. ZIP to county assignment uses the Census Bureau's 2020 ZCTA-to-county relationship file (largest land share); county to metro uses OMB's July 2023 delineations. Permits: Census Bureau Building Permits Survey through August 2026. Errors in processing are corrected at the next build; see corrections. FHFA HPI datasets.