02122 ZIP Code — Dorchester, MA

Suffolk County, Massachusetts

ZIP code 02122 is located in Dorchester, Massachusetts, within Suffolk County. It covers approximately 1.70 square miles and serves a population of 24,705 residents. This is a standard ZIP code in the Eastern (ET) timezone, served by area code 617/857/781.

About ZIP code 02122

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 $630,300. Owner-occupancy sits near the national average at 46%.

The gap between median ($81,025) and mean household income suggests income inequality — a small number of higher earners pull the average up. SNAP benefit usage at 18% of households reflects economic stress in the area.

The dominant occupation class is management, business, and professional, with education and healthcare as the leading industry. The average commute of 33 minutes is near the national average.

Educational attainment is near the national average, with 36% of residents holding a bachelor's degree or higher.

Notable community characteristics include Spanish spoken in 23% of households.

24,705

population

1.70

sq mi land

Standard

ZIP type

Eastern (ET)

timezone

02122 ZIP code map

Cities in ZIP code 02122

Below are the cities the US Postal Service accepts for ZIP code 02122. Using any city not on this list may result in mail delivery delays.

City	Status
Dorchester	Acceptable
Dorchester	Preferred

Nearby ZIP codes

02124 Dorchester Center (1.1 mi) 02125 Dorchester (1.3 mi) 02121 Dorchester (1.8 mi) 02126 Mattapan (2.4 mi) 02119 Roxbury (2.4 mi) 02127 South Boston (2.9 mi) 02118 Boston (2.9 mi) 02120 Roxbury Crossing (3.3 mi) 02212 Boston (3.3 mi) 02130 Jamaica Plain (3.3 mi) 02210 Boston (3.5 mi) 02131 Roslindale (3.6 mi)

Demographics updated 06/2026

Population
Total population	24,705
Population density	14,532 / sq mi
State FIPS	25
County FIPS	025

Geography
Land area	1.70 sq mi
Water area	0.21 sq mi
Latitude	42.2970
Longitude	-71.0546
Timezone	Eastern (ET)
Area code	617/857/781

Total population by age

Gender

Race & ethnicity

Economics updated 06/2026

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	37.2%	37.5%	31.3%
$50k – $100k	28.5%	23.6%	25.9%
$100k – $200k	26.1%	25.7%	28.5%
Over $200k	8.2%	13.2%	14.3%

Demographics & statistics

24,705

Population

14,532

People per sq mi

36.6

Median age

$81,025

Median household income

$42,458

Per capita income

$630,300

Median home value

$1,900

Median monthly rent

45.6%

Home ownership

14.8%

Poverty rate

7.0%

Unemployment

1,373

Housing units

35.7%

Bachelor's or higher

Age distribution

Male Female

644

Under 5

633

475

5–9

467

813

10–14

800

794

15–19

781

702

20–24

691

2,322

25–34

2,284

2,111

35–44

2,075

1,674

45–54

1,646

848

55–59

834

482

60–64

473

983

65–74

967

466

75–84

458

142

85+

140

← Male

Female →

Age summary

Group	Count	%
Under 18	4,758	19.3%
18 and over	19,947	80.7%
65 and over	3,156	12.8%
Median age	36.6 years

Race & ethnicity

White 29.9%

Black or African American 24.3%

Hispanic or Latino 15%

Asian 12.9%

Two or more races 10.6%

Other race 6.8%

American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%

Group	Count	%
White	8,681	29.9%
Black or African American	7,074	24.3%
Hispanic or Latino	4,368	15%
Asian	3,756	12.9%
Two or more races	3,074	10.6%
Other race	1,988	6.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native	132	0.5%

Household income

Income range	This ZIP	County avg	State avg
Under $50k	37.2%	37.5%	31.3%
$50k – $100k	28.5%	23.6%	25.9%
$100k – $200k	26.1%	25.7%	28.5%
Over $200k	8.2%	13.2%	14.3%

Under $10k 6.6%

$10k–$15k 5.7%

$15k–$25k 9.1%

$25k–$35k 4.4%

$35k–$50k 7.4%

$50k–$75k 14.2%

$75k–$100k 12.6%

$100k–$150k 15.0%

$150k–$200k 10.4%

$200k+ 14.7%

Range	% of households
Under $10k	6.6%
$10k–$15k	5.7%
$15k–$25k	9.1%
$25k–$35k	4.4%
$35k–$50k	7.4%
$50k–$75k	14.2%
$75k–$100k	12.6%
$100k–$150k	15.0%
$150k–$200k	10.4%
$200k+	14.7%
Median income	$81,025

Housing

Home values

Under $50k 1.6%

$50k–$100k 0.1%

$100k–$150k 0.8%

$150k–$200k 0.3%

$200k–$300k 3.7%

$300k–$500k 20.2%

$500k–$1M 65.1%

$1M+ 8.3%

Housing overview

Metric	Value
Median home value	$630,300
Median rent / month	$1,900
Owner occupied	45.6%
Renter occupied	54.4%
Vacant	7.8%
Single-family detached	13.8%
Large apartment buildings	7.7%
Mobile homes	0.2%
Median rooms	5.0
Avg household size (owned)	2.66

Year built

Era	%
2020 or later	0.1%
2010–2019	5.5%
2000–2009	6.7%
1990–1999	1.9%
1980–1989	3.1%
1970–1979	5.5%
1960–1969	4.4%
1950–1959	6.7%
1940–1949	5.4%
1939 or earlier	60.8%

Bedrooms

Size	% of units
No bedroom (studio)	2.8%
1 bedroom	9.6%
2 bedrooms	38.4%
3 bedrooms	36.1%
4 bedrooms	8.9%
5+ bedrooms	4.2%

Vehicles per household

Vehicles	% of households
No vehicle	18.6%
1 vehicle	42.8%
2 vehicles	29.1%
3 or more	9.4%

Heating fuel

Fuel type	%
Utility gas	71.9%
Electricity	13.3%
Propane / LP gas	3.3%
Fuel oil	10.7%
No fuel used	0.3%

Households & families

Household type	Count	%
Married-couple family	3,165	33.5%
Cohabiting couple	784	8.3%
Male householder, no spouse	2,119	22.4%
Female householder, no spouse	3,381	35.8%
Households with children under 18	2,726	28.8%
Households with seniors (65+)	2,112	22.4%
Average household size	2.58

Marital status

Status	Male	Female
Never married	47.7%	49.2%
Married	42.0%	33.8%
Separated	2.6%	3.6%
Widowed	1.3%	5.7%
Divorced	6.5%	7.7%

Education

Less than 9th grade 11.2%

Some HS, no diploma 9.2%

HS graduate 25.2%

Some college, no degree 14.1%

Associate's degree 4.6%

Bachelor's degree 21.9%

Graduate / professional 13.9%

Metric	%
HS diploma or higher	79.6%
Bachelor's or higher	35.7%

School enrollment (ages 3–17)

Type	Count	%
Nursery / preschool	281	4.5%
Kindergarten	515	8.2%
Elementary school	1,972	31.5%
High school	1,384	22.1%
College / grad school	2,110	33.7%

Employment

Industry of employment

Education & healthcare 24.0%

Professional & management 13.1%

Retail trade 12.6%

Arts, food & hospitality 8.4%

Public administration 7.3%

Finance & real estate 7.1%

Construction 7.0%

Manufacturing 5.6%

Transportation & utilities 5.2%

Other services 5.1%

Wholesale trade 1.7%

Information 1.7%

Agriculture & mining 1.0%

Occupation

Category	%
Management, business & arts	38.2%
Service	23.0%
Sales & office	20.2%
Natural resources & construction	9.0%
Production & transportation	9.6%

Employment type

Type	%
Private sector	82.6%
Government	15.0%
Self-employed	2.4%
Unpaid family workers	0.0%

Commute

Method	%
Drive alone	49.1%
Carpool	10.8%
Public transit	24.1%
Walk	4.3%
Work from home	8.4%
Other means	3.4%
Avg commute (minutes)	32.5

Poverty

All people 14.8%

Under 18 years 22.8%

18 and over 13.0%

Married-couple families 7.0%

Female-led households 25.8%

Income support

Source	% of households
Social Security	19.8%
Retirement income	10.7%
Supplemental Security	7.8%
Cash public assistance	5.7%
Food stamps / SNAP	17.9%

Health indicators

Condition	%
Obesity	23.9%
High blood pressure	27.3%
High cholesterol	25.7%
Diabetes	9.9%
Heart disease	5.1%
Stroke	3.0%
Asthma	11.8%
Arthritis	20.1%
Kidney disease	2.7%
Pulmonary disease	5.7%
Cancer	4.9%

Behavior / access	%
Smoking	17.7%
Binge drinking	17.2%
No physical activity	25.4%
Less than 7 hrs sleep	36.2%
Depression	19.4%
Fair or poor health	15.4%
Poor mental health	15.9%
Poor physical health	9.7%
No health insurance	10.8%
Visited doctor (checkup)	76.5%
Visited dentist	59.8%
Cholesterol screening	87.3%
Teeth loss	15.8%

Veterans & disability

Veterans	Count	%
Civilian veterans	573	2.9%

Disability	%
Any disability	11.6%
Under 18	7.7%
18–64 years	8.9%
65 and over	32.4%

Health insurance coverage

Type	%
Private insurance	64.4%
Public insurance	41.5%
No insurance	3.6%
Uninsured under 19	2.1%

Language & origin

Language spoken at home (age 5+)

Language	Count	%
English only	23,428	94.8%
Spanish	5,381	23.0%
Other Indo-European	1,668	7.1%
Asian & Pacific Islander	1,693	7.2%
Other languages	2,016	8.6%

Place of birth & citizenship

Origin	Count	%
Native born (US)	16,449	66.6%
Born in same state	15,381	62.3%
Born in different state	12,202	49.4%
Foreign born	1,068	4.3%
Naturalized citizen	8,256	33.4%
Not a US citizen	4,895	59.3%

Ancestry

Ancestry	Count	%
Italian	3,544	14.3%
French	741	3%
Arab	738	3%
German	280	1.1%

Ancestry	Count	%
Norwegian	142	0.6%
Polish	102	0.4%
English	27	0.1%
Irish	20	0.1%

Technology access

Metric	% of households
Computer access	38.2%
Internet access	94.7%

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

Frequently asked questions about ZIP code 02122

What city is ZIP code 02122 in?

ZIP code 02122 is primarily assigned to Dorchester, Massachusetts.

What county is ZIP code 02122 in?

ZIP code 02122 falls within Suffolk County, Massachusetts.

Is Spanish widely spoken in ZIP code 02122?

Approximately 23% of households in ZIP code 02122 speak Spanish as a primary language.

What is the typical home value in ZIP code 02122?

The median home value in ZIP code 02122 is $630,300.

What is the population of ZIP code 02122?

ZIP code 02122 has an estimated population of 24,705 residents, with a density of 14,558 people per square mile.

What is the median household income in ZIP code 02122?

The median household income in ZIP code 02122 is $81,025, above the national median of ~$75,000.

What timezone is ZIP code 02122 in?

ZIP code 02122 observes the EST timezone.