02142 ZIP Code, Cambridge, MA
02142 is a ZIP code in Cambridge, Massachusetts in Middlesex County. It covers 0.3 square miles of land. The closest ZIP codes are 02141, 02114 and 02116. 4,737 people live here in 2,153 households. It is densely built, at about 15,086 people per square mile, and most households rent (7% own). Median household income is $147,723, above the Massachusetts median of $103,960; 38% of residents moved in during the past year.
Quick facts
- Mailing city: Cambridge, MA
- County: Middlesex County
- Land area: 0.3 sq mi
- Population: 4,737
- Median household income: $147,723
- Carrier routes: 4 (3,296 homes)
Key figures
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Residents | 4,737 |
| Households | 2,153 |
| Median household income | $147,723 |
| Income per person | $99,370 |
| Median age | 30.9 |
| Homeowners | 6.9% |
| Median home value | $1,954,500 |
| Median rent | $3,501 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 89.4% |
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.1 |
| Households with kids under 18 | 13.8% |
| Moved in the past year | 37.7% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% |
| Broadband internet | 99.6% |
| Speak a non-English language at home | 44.5% |
Household income
| % of households | Value |
|---|---|
| <$10K | 5.6% |
| $10–15K | 0.3% |
| $15–25K | 2.9% |
| $25–35K | 2.2% |
| $35–50K | 5.1% |
| $50–75K | 18.4% |
| $75–100K | 6.3% |
| $100–150K | 10.3% |
| $150–200K | 10.4% |
| $200K+ | 38.4% |
Age
| % of all residents | Value |
|---|---|
| <10 | 8.7% |
| 10–19 | 5.6% |
| 20–24 | 14.6% |
| 25–34 | 35.0% |
| 35–44 | 18.5% |
| 45–54 | 4.9% |
| 55–64 | 6.3% |
| 65–74 | 3.4% |
| 75+ | 2.9% |
Tenure
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Owned, with mortgage | 4.5% |
| Owned outright | 2.0% |
| Rented | 78.6% |
| Vacant | 15.0% |
Type of building
| % of housing units | Value |
|---|---|
| Detached house | 0.8% |
| Townhome | 0.0% |
| 2–4 units | 0.6% |
| 5–19 units | 2.7% |
| 20+ units | 95.9% |
| Mobile / other | 0.0% |
Businesses in 02142
604 business establishments with 31,327 employees (ZIP Codes Business Patterns 2023).
- Professional, Scientific, and Technical Services: 291
- Accommodation and Food Services: 55
- Information: 39
- Finance and Insurance: 36
- Other Services (except Public Administration): 32
- Real Estate and Rental and Leasing: 31
- Wholesale Trade: 25
- Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services: 22
EDDM carrier routes
02142 has 4 USPS carrier routes with 3,296 residential and 432 business mailboxes. Open the EDDM route map.
Carrier routes in 02142
02142 has 4 USPS carrier routes (4 city (C)) with 3,296 residential and 432 business mailboxes. Routes range from 616 homes (C031) to 1,104 homes (C033); the median route has 788 homes. The Census counted 2,153 households in 02142 (2020–2024 average); USPS counts current mailboxes, including new and vacant homes.
| Homes per route | Routes |
|---|---|
| 1–249 | 0 |
| 250–499 | 0 |
| 500–749 | 2 |
| 750–999 | 1 |
| 1,000–1,499 | 1 |
| 1,500+ | 0 |
Best routes in 02142 for…
Most businesses
For B2B offers: office supplies, cleaning, IT, catering and commercial services.
- Route C038 — USPS business mailboxes 149, 945 homes
- Route C031 — USPS business mailboxes 122, 616 homes
- Route C033 — USPS business mailboxes 121, 1,104 homes
- Route C034 — USPS business mailboxes 40, 631 homes
Select these 4 routes on the route map
Every carrier route in 02142
| Route | Type | Homes | Businesses | Est. median income | Est. owners | Est. families with kids | Est. moved in past year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| C031 | City | 616 | 122 | $118,555 | — | — | — |
| C033 | City | 1,104 | 121 | $76,335 | — | — | — |
| C034 | City | 631 | 40 | $76,335 | — | — | — |
| C038 | City | 945 | 149 | $43,289 | — | — | — |
Income, owners, families and movers are estimates for each route (how we estimate them); mailbox counts are current USPS figures. Open 02142 on the EDDM route map.
How route demographics are estimated
Mailbox counts come from USPS; demographics are estimates
The number of homes and businesses on each carrier route is the current USPS EDDM count. The Census Bureau does not publish figures for carrier routes, so income, homeownership, ages, families, movers and housing age on a route are EDDM2GO estimates built from Census block groups (neighborhood areas of roughly 600 to 3,000 people).
How a route gets its figures: the block-group length-share method
We trace each route's streets every 25 meters and record which block group each stretch falls in. The route's homes are spread along its streets in proportion to length, so a route with 60% of its street length in one block group is assumed to have 60% of its homes there. Each block group then contributes its Census counts in proportion to the share of its housing units that sit on the route (capped at the whole block group). Medians are recalculated from the combined income, home-value and age brackets, the way the Census Bureau computes them, not averaged.
Margins of error
Census survey figures carry a margin of error at 90% confidence; we carry it through the calculation and show it as ±. Our margins treat the route-to-block-group split as exact, so the real uncertainty is larger. Routes with fewer than 100 estimated households, large margins, or streets we could not place are flagged.
Different years
USPS mailbox counts are current. Census figures are 5-year averages for 2020–2024, so a new subdivision may have more homes on the route today than the Census counted. Use the route figures to compare routes with each other, not as an exact head count.
Why some routes show identical figures
Two routes that run through the same block group get the same percentages and medians, because the Census publishes one set of figures for the whole block group. Their mailbox counts still differ, and those are exact.
Route and mailbox counts: USPS EDDM route data. Route demographics: EDDM2GO estimates from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey 5-year block-group data (2020–2024) and 2024 cartographic block-group boundaries. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Nearby ZIP codes
- 02141 — Cambridge city, MA (0.5 mi)
- 02114 — Boston city, MA (0.7 mi)
- 02116 — Boston city, MA (0.8 mi)
- 02108 — Boston city, MA (0.9 mi)
- 02133 — Boston city, MA (0.9 mi)
- 02199 — Boston city, MA (1 mi)
- 02139 — Cambridge city, MA (1.1 mi)
- 02203 — Boston city, MA (1.1 mi)
Areas that include 02142
- Cambridge, MA ZIP codes — 5 ZIP codes
- Middlesex County ZIP codes — 83 ZIP codes
- Massachusetts ZIP code data
Where it ranks
- No. 1 of 81: highest median home value in Middlesex County
- No. 2 of 82: highest share of residents who moved in during the past year in Middlesex County
- No. 5 of 82: lowest median age in Middlesex County
- No. 1 of 82: fastest population growth in Middlesex County
- No. 1 of 5: highest median household income in Cambridge, MA
- No. 1 of 5: highest median home value in Cambridge, MA
- No. 5 of 5: highest share of owner-occupied homes in Cambridge, MA
- No. 5 of 5: highest share of households with children in Cambridge, MA
- No. 1 of 5: highest share of residents who moved in during the past year in Cambridge, MA
- No. 3 of 5: lowest median age in Cambridge, MA
- No. 3 of 5: highest median age in Cambridge, MA
- No. 1 of 5: fastest population growth in Cambridge, MA
Mail every home in 02142
Route counts on this page price as Full Service 6.5 × 9 postcards: we print, bundle by carrier route and hand the mailing to USPS. Prefer to take it to the Post Office yourself? Print only costs less and you pay postage at drop-off.
EDDM guides
ZIP code statistics describe the Census ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) 02142, which approximates the USPS ZIP code area. Census figures: American Community Survey 5-year estimates, 2020–2024.
Frequently asked questions
- What city is 02142 in?
- 02142 is a Cambridge, MA mailing address. By land area, 100% lies inside Cambridge.
- What county is 02142 in?
- 02142 is in Middlesex County.
- What is the population of 02142?
- About 4,737 people (±588), according to the Census Bureau's American Community Survey 5-year estimates for 2020–2024. The 2020 Census counted 4,499.
- What is the median household income in 02142?
- $147,723 (±$28,172), compared with $103,960 for Massachusetts as a whole. Half the households in the ZIP code earn more and half earn less.
- How many carrier routes and mailboxes are in 02142?
- 4 USPS carrier routes with 3,296 residential and 432 business mailboxes (3,733 in all), from the route data stored by EDDM2GO. An EDDM mailing can target any combination of these routes.
- What ZIP codes are near 02142?
- The closest, measured center to center: 02141 (0.5 mi, Cambridge), 02114 (0.7 mi, Boston), 02116 (0.8 mi, Boston), 02108 (0.9 mi, Boston), 02133 (0.9 mi, Boston) and 02199 (1 mi, Boston).
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.