In addition, Melrose is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates", which are people who are not only wealthy and employed in professional occupations, but highly educated to boot. Urban sophisticates have urbane tastes - whether they reside in a big or small city, a suburb, or a little town. Urban sophisticates support bookstores, quality clothing stores, enjoy luxury travel, and in big cities, they are truly the patrons of the arts, attending and supporting institutions such as opera, symphony, ballet, and theatre.
Melrose is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The city’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Melrose’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
One downside of living in Melrose is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Melrose, the average commute to work is 36.05 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. On the other hand, local public transit is widely used in the city, so leaving the car at home and taking transit is often a viable alternative. In addition, it is also a pedestrian-friendly city. Many of Melrose’s neighborhoods are dense enough and have amenities close enough together that people find it feasible to get around on foot.
Like elsewhere in America, most people in Melrose use a private automobile to get to work. But notably, a substantial number of Melrose‘s citizens do make use of public transit in their daily commute, primarily riding the subway. This helps more people get to work with less air pollution, and require fewer highways to get them there.
If knowledge is power, Melrose is a pretty powerful place. 61.28% of the adults in Melrose have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Melrose in 2018 was $60,957, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $243,828 for a family of four.
Melrose is a very ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Melrose home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Melrose residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Melrose include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Melrose's cultural character, accounting for 15.44% of the city’s population.
The most common language spoken in Melrose is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.
