02121 ZIP Code — Dorchester, MA

Suffolk County, Massachusetts

ZIP code 02121 is located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, within Suffolk County. It covers approximately 1.89 square miles and serves a population of 29,820 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 617/857/781.

About ZIP code 02121

The housing stock consists of a mix of housing types. Most homes were built in the pre-1940, giving the area an established character. Median home value is $517,800. Renters make up the majority at 77%, typical of denser urban areas.

The gap between median ($42,411) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. Poverty affects 25% of residents, above the national average. SNAP benefit usage at 44% of households reflects economic stress in the area.

The dominant occupation class is service, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. An above-average commute of 36 minutes suggests many residents work outside the immediate area.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 21% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Health indicators show elevated rates of smoking (20%) compared to national benchmarks.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 22% of households.

Overall, ZIP code 02121 reflects a community defined by economic challenges above the national average and elevated reliance on food assistance.

29,820

population

1.89

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

02121 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 02121

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 02121. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Dorchester	Acceptable
Dorchester	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

02119 Roxbury (1.1 mi) 02130 Jamaica Plain (1.6 mi) 02125 Dorchester (1.7 mi) 02122 Dorchester (1.8 mi) 02124 Dorchester Center (1.8 mi) 02120 Roxbury Crossing (1.8 mi) 02118 Boston (2.2 mi) 02126 Mattapan (2.2 mi) 02131 Roslindale (2.5 mi) 02115 Boston (2.5 mi) 02199 Boston (2.8 mi) 02215 Boston (2.8 mi)

Demographics updated 05/2026

Population
Total population	29,820
Population density	15,778 / sq mi
State FIPS	25
County FIPS	025

Geography
Land area	1.89 sq mi
Water area	0.01 sq mi
Latitude	42.3073
Longitude	-71.0859
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	617/857/781

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 05/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	57.2%	37.5%	31.3%
$50k – $100k	21.1%	23.6%	25.9%
$100k – $200k	15.7%	25.7%	28.5%
Over $200k	6.1%	13.2%	14.3%

Demographics & statistics

29,820

Population

15,778

People per sq mi

33.2

Median age

$42,411

Median household income

$27,161

Per capita income

$517,800

Median home value

$1,282

Median monthly rent

23.0%

Home ownership

24.5%

Poverty rate

8.5%

Unemployment

3,489

Housing units

21.0%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

876

Under 5

1,054

892

5–9

1,073

1,007

10–14

1,211

940

15–19

1,131

1,102

20–24

1,327

2,384

25–34

2,869

1,683

35–44

2,026

1,341

45–54

1,614

921

55–59

1,109

818

60–64

984

1,085

65–74

1,305

373

75–84

448

112

85+

135

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	7,487	25.1%
18 and over	22,333	74.9%
65 and over	3,458	11.6%
Median age	33.2 years

Race & ethnicity

Black or African American 42.3%

Hispanic or Latino 22.3%

Two or more races 14.4%

Other race 11.6%

White 8.8%

Asian 0.5%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%

Group	Count	%
Black or African American	16,227	42.3%
Hispanic or Latino	8,538	22.3%
Two or more races	5,538	14.4%
Other race	4,439	11.6%
White	3,386	8.8%
Asian	203	0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	27	0.1%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	57.2%	37.5%	31.3%
$50k – $100k	21.1%	23.6%	25.9%
$100k – $200k	15.7%	25.7%	28.5%
Over $200k	6.1%	13.2%	14.3%

Under $10k 9.8%

$10k–$15k 11.6%

$15k–$25k 11.6%

$25k–$35k 12.6%

$35k–$50k 9.0%

$50k–$75k 10.4%

$75k–$100k 6.6%

$100k–$150k 12.8%

$150k–$200k 6.9%

$200k+ 8.7%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	9.8%
$10k–$15k	11.6%
$15k–$25k	11.6%
$25k–$35k	12.6%
$35k–$50k	9.0%
$50k–$75k	10.4%
$75k–$100k	6.6%
$100k–$150k	12.8%
$150k–$200k	6.9%
$200k+	8.7%
Median income	$42,411

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 9.3%

$100k–$150k 1.1%

$150k–$200k 1.0%

$200k–$300k 12.3%

$300k–$500k 24.7%

$500k–$1M 46.3%

$1M+ 5.2%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$517,800
Median rent / month	$1,282
Owner occupied	23.0%
Renter occupied	77.0%
Vacant	9.2%
Single-family detached	6.7%
Large apartment buildings	3.9%
Mobile homes	0.0%
Median rooms	4.7
Avg household size (owned)	2.89

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.0%
2010–2019	4.1%
2000–2009	3.7%
1990–1999	5.3%
1980–1989	3.9%
1970–1979	9.9%
1960–1969	9.4%
1950–1959	11.5%
1940–1949	4.7%
1939 or earlier	47.4%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	1.6%
1 bedroom	14.0%
2 bedrooms	39.3%
3 bedrooms	28.9%
4 bedrooms	9.8%
5+ bedrooms	6.4%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	37.2%
1 vehicle	41.2%
2 vehicles	14.8%
3 or more	6.9%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	57.5%
Electricity	30.9%
Propane / LP gas	2.6%
Fuel oil	7.7%
Wood	0.2%
No fuel used	0.8%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	2,651	25.2%
Cohabiting couple	558	5.3%
Male householder, no spouse	1,980	18.8%
Female householder, no spouse	5,324	50.6%
Households with children under 18	3,819	36.3%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,620	24.9%
Average household size	2.82

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	51.8%	54.3%
Married	36.8%	23.0%
Separated	1.7%	6.2%
Widowed	2.0%	4.4%
Divorced	7.7%	12.1%

Education

Less than 9th grade 12.0%

Some HS, no diploma 8.6%

HS graduate 33.7%

Some college, no degree 18.9%

Associate's degree 5.9%

Bachelor's degree 12.9%

Graduate / professional 8.1%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	79.5%
Bachelor's or higher	21.0%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	412	5.0%
Kindergarten	402	4.9%
Elementary school	3,645	44.7%
High school	1,597	19.6%
College / grad school	2,107	25.8%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 33.0%

Professional & management 13.0%

Retail trade 11.7%

Arts, food & hospitality 11.0%

Transportation & utilities 6.4%

Public administration 4.9%

Construction 4.6%

Finance & real estate 4.6%

Other services 4.6%

Manufacturing 2.6%

Information 2.4%

Wholesale trade 1.2%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	28.8%
Service	34.2%
Sales & office	20.7%
Natural resources & construction	6.8%
Production & transportation	9.5%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	79.7%
Government	17.1%
Self-employed	3.2%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	42.1%
Carpool	8.9%
Public transit	37.6%
Walk	3.0%
Work from home	4.4%
Other means	4.0%
Avg commute (minutes)	36.0

Poverty

All people 24.5%

Under 18 years 33.9%

18 and over 21.4%

Married-couple families 13.1%

Female-led households 32.9%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	23.5%
Retirement income	9.4%
Supplemental Security	15.3%
Cash public assistance	6.1%
Food stamps / SNAP	43.8%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	33.2%
High blood pressure	34.9%
High cholesterol	26.1%
Diabetes	14.2%
Heart disease	5.8%
Stroke	4.4%
Asthma	14.6%
Arthritis	23.4%
Kidney disease	3.8%
Pulmonary disease	6.7%
Cancer	4.6%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	20.3%
Binge drinking	14.6%
No physical activity	32.7%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	41.6%
Depression	19.8%
Fair or poor health	22.5%
Poor mental health	18.1%
Poor physical health	12.7%
No health insurance	14.2%
Visited doctor (checkup)	80.8%
Visited dentist	51.3%
Cholesterol screening	87.7%
Teeth loss	25.4%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	661	3.0%

Disability	%
Any disability	16.3%
Under 18	10.1%
18–64 years	14.0%
65 and over	42.1%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	41.9%
Public insurance	60.6%
No insurance	3.8%
Uninsured under 19	1.3%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	27,890	93.5%
Spanish	6,210	22.3%
Other Indo-European	4,495	16.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander	1,095	3.9%
Other languages	12	0.0%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	19,138	64.2%
Born in same state	17,003	57.0%
Born in different state	14,097	47.3%
Foreign born	2,135	7.2%
Naturalized citizen	10,682	35.8%
Not a US citizen	5,180	48.5%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Arab	479	1.6%
Italian	265	0.9%
French	100	0.3%

Ancestry	Count	%
German	50	0.2%
English	11	0%
Polish	10	0%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	35.3%
Internet access	88.7%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2025 estimates.

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 02121

What city is ZIP code 02121 in?

ZIP code 02121 is primarily assigned to Dorchester, Massachusetts.

What county is ZIP code 02121 in?

ZIP code 02121 falls within Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

Is ZIP code 02121 mostly rentals?

77% of occupied units in ZIP code 02121 are renter-occupied.

What is the poverty rate in ZIP code 02121?

25% of residents in ZIP code 02121 live below the poverty line, above the national average.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 02121?

Approximately 22% of households in ZIP code 02121 speak Spanish as a primary language.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 02121?

The median home value in ZIP code 02121 is $517,800.

What timezone is ZIP code 02121 in?

ZIP code 02121 observes the EST timezone.