Corcoran School · Photo: Tim Pierce · CC BY 3.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Clinton costs more to live in than 76% of U.S. towns
It ranks #86 of 282 in Massachusetts for affordability. Up 0.8% in a year, 31% below the Massachusetts typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Worcester, MA metro area ($96K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Clinton’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($96K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 27% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 40% of renters.
In dollars
- $452Ktypical home, 31% below the Massachusetts typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,990a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 103prices across the Worcester metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 113)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 4.0 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$96K, Worcester-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 40%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Massachusetts: 52%Census 2020–24
- 27%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Clinton’s housing numbers say
Rent is easier on renters here
40% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 52% across Massachusetts. A standard two-bedroom is 27% of the median household income. Renting ↓
Homes haven’t kept up with new residents
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Clinton gained 1,822 residents while 208 new homes were permitted: about 8.8 new residents per new home, against 3.4 across Massachusetts. New homes ↓
The least expensive town in its area
All five neighboring towns with a Zillow value cost more than Clinton. The closest is Lancaster at $580K; Bolton tops the list at $868K. Vs. neighbors ↓
A burst of building in 2021
Clinton permitted 65 new homes in 2021, 65% of them in buildings with two or more homes, against about 20 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 0. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025 (2025 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Clinton’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clinton is more affordable than 24% of U.S. towns, #86 of 282 in Massachusetts. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Massachusetts: up 27.1% in five years, against 25.7% statewide (Zillow).
Up 27.1% in five years
About the same pace as Massachusetts (25.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Clinton | Massachusetts |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $243,000 | $378,000 |
| 2018 | $261,000 | $402,000 |
| 2019 | $280,000 | $421,000 |
| 2020 | $292,000 | $433,000 |
| 2021 | $328,000 | $479,000 |
| 2022 | $360,000 | $529,000 |
| 2023 | $387,000 | $565,000 |
| 2024 | $426,000 | $609,000 |
| 2025 | $451,000 | $640,000 |
| 2026 | $452,000 | $650,000 |
| September 2026 | $452,000 | $655,000 |
A typical Clinton home worth $240K in October 2016 is worth about $452K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 2.7 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 4.0 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Clinton’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $93K short of a typical Clinton home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,990 a month here, $830 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Clinton’s typical property tax (1.20% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,990
Renters already here pay a median of $1,402, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Worcester, MA HUD Metro FMR Area): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Clinton in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (3 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Clinton gained 1,822 residents while 208 new homes were permitted: about 8.8 new residents per new home. Population grew faster than building, so existing homes filled up: a sign of tight supply. Across Massachusetts: 3.4 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 1 | 1 | 0 | $279,000 |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $838,000 |
| 2023 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $1 million |
| 2022 | 47 | 22 | 25 | $7.1 million |
| 2021 | 65 | 23 | 42 | $9.2 million |
| 2020 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2019 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2018 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2017 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $4.4 million |
| 2016 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $4.6 million |
| 2015 | 23 | 23 | 0 | $4.2 million |
| 2014 | 28 | 28 | 0 | $5.1 million |
| 2013 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $3.7 million |
| 2012 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $2.4 million |
| 2011 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $2.6 million |
| 2010 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.7 million |
| 2009 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $5.8 million |
| 2008 | 19 | 19 | 0 | $3.8 million |
| 2007 | 16 | 16 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2006 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $4.8 million |
| 2005 | 136 | 136 | 0 | $20.2 million |
| 2004 | 93 | 93 | 0 | $15.3 million |
| 2003 | 104 | 104 | 0 | $15.6 million |
| 2002 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $3.6 million |
| 2001 | 45 | 45 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2000 | 49 | 47 | 2 | $5.3 million |
Clinton's permit office didn't report to the Census in 2025, so the 2025 figures are Census estimates.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $4,654, under the Massachusetts median of $5,992, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.20% a year, against 1.07% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Clinton
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Worcester, MA metro area, or Massachusetts. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 103 | MA 106 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 97 | MA 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 155 | MA 152 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 101 | MA 103 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Clinton vs. its neighbors
Of the 6 towns here with a Zillow value, Clinton has the lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clinton | C− | $452K | $387K | 1.20% | $1,990 |
| Berlin | D− | $664K | $617K | 1.15% | $2,560 |
| Lancaster | D− | $580K | $519K | 1.39% | $2,730 |
| Sterling | D | $594K | $499K | 1.35% | $2,090 |
| Boylston | D | $627K | $579K | 1.26% | $2,520 |
| Bolton | C | $868K | $796K | 1.26%+ | $2,210 |
“+”: the Census reports the tax bill only as $10,000 or more, so the rate is at least that.
Questions about the cost of living in Clinton
Is Clinton expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Clinton costs more than 76% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #86 of 282 in Massachusetts. The typical home costs 4.0 years of the median household income of the Worcester, MA metro area ($96K).
How much does a house cost in Clinton?
About $452K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 0.8% in a year. The Massachusetts typical home is $655K.
What salary do you need to live in Clinton?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $121,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,820 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $80,000.
How much is rent in Clinton?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,990 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,402 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Clinton?
The median bill is $4,654 a year, 1.20% of the median home value (Massachusetts: $5,992, 1.07%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Clinton going up?
Barely: up 0.8% in the past year and 27.1% in five years, against 25.7% across Massachusetts (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Clinton buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.