HomeMassachusettsSuffolk CountyChelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts: commercial real estate data.
Chelsea is a Census city of 39,908 people across 2.22 square miles of land, in Suffolk County. Median household income is $72,179, 26.0 percent of occupied homes are owned, and the SBA record carries 40 7(a) approvals to borrowers here worth $5.2 m since FY2020.
Underlined figures are computed by MMCG Analytics, not published by the agency.
Chelsea
What Chelsea is
- Census place typecity
- Land area2.22 sq mi
- Water area0.25 sq mi
- Population per square mile of land17,987
- County holding the largest share of its areaSuffolk County, 100.0 percent
US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage. US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Chelsea
How many people live in Chelsea
- Population39,908
- Median age34.4
- Population under 189,724
- Share under 1824.4 percent
- Population 65 and over4,188
- Share 65 and over10.5 percent
- Households13,716
- Family households8,030
- Share of households that are families58.5 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Chelsea
Income and work in Chelsea
- Median household income$72,179
- Per capita income$32,986
- Civilian labor force21,374
- Employed19,414
- Unemployed1,960 plus or minus 571
- Unemployment rate9.2 percent plus or minus 2.6
- Adults 25 and over27,062
- Adults 25 and over with a high school diploma or higher70.3 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a bachelor degree or higher22.2 percent
- Adults 25 and over with a graduate degree7.9 percent
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Chelsea
Housing in Chelsea
- Housing units14,165
- Occupied units13,716
- Vacant units449 plus or minus 192
- Vacancy rate3.2 percent plus or minus 1.3
- Owner occupied3,568
- Renter occupied10,148
- Ownership rate26.0 percent
- Median owner-occupied home value$493,500
- Median gross rent, monthly$1,956
- Annual rent as a share of median income32.5 percent
- Single family units1,820 plus or minus 369
- Share single family12.8 percent
- Units in buildings of two or more12,331
- Share in buildings of two or more87.1 percent
- Mobile homes14 plus or minus 28
- Median year structure built1941
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Chelsea
How Chelsea gets to work
- Workers 16 and over who commute16,827
- Commuting under 15 minutes2,979
- Share commuting under 15 minutes17.7 percent
- Commuting 30 minutes or more9,065
- Share commuting 30 minutes or more53.9 percent
- Drove alone46.1 percent
- Carpooled13.8 percent plus or minus 3.0
- Public transport20.9 percent
- Walked5.3 percent plus or minus 1.4
- Worked from home10.4 percent plus or minus 2.2
US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
Chelsea
SBA loans in Chelsea (7(a))
- Approvals40
- Gross approval$5,196,500
- Average approval$129,913
- Median approval$100,000
- Ninetieth percentile approval$255,000
- Largest approval$500,000
- Jobs supported319
- Jobs per approval8.0
- Loans with a final outcome8
- Paid in full3
- Charged off5
- Median term85 months
- Share on real estate terms of 20 years or more0.0 percent
- Share to franchises0.0 percent
- Distinct lenders15
- Distinct industries by NAICS27
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Chelsea, in any county, FY2020 to FY2026. Only 8 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 7(a) FOIA release, FY2020 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Chelsea
SBA loans in Chelsea (504)
- Approvals12
- Gross approval$7,298,000
- Average approval$608,167
- Median approval$462,000
- Largest approval$1,441,000
- Jobs supported142
- Loans with a final outcome4
- Charged off0
- Median term270 months
- Distinct CDCs3
Counted by borrower city: approvals to borrowers whose address is in Chelsea, in any county, FY2010 to FY2026. Only 4 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published.
US Small Business Administration, 504 FOIA release, FY2010 to FY2026 year to date, as of 2026-06-30.
Chelsea
Flood risk in Chelsea
- NFIP communityCity of Chelsea
- NFIP community number250287
- Participating in the NFIPYes
- Community Rating System classNone
- Currently effective map date07/03/24
The City of Chelsea participates in the National Flood Insurance Program as community 250287 and carries no Community Rating System class, so no CRS premium discount applies to it.
Federal Emergency Management Agency, NFIP Community Status Book (OpenFEMA), as of 2026-09-26.
Suffolk County, not Chelsea
Suffolk County context, not Chelsea figures
- Establishments in Suffolk County22,034
- Covered employment, Suffolk County713,809
- Average annual pay, Suffolk County$131,280
- Housing units permitted, Suffolk County2,007
Every figure in this section is published for Suffolk County as a whole and is not a measurement of Chelsea.
US Census Bureau, County Business Patterns, 2023. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, 2024 annual averages. US Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey, 2024 annual.
Coverage
What this page does not hold.
Parcel detail, zoning and the flood zone at an address are not on this page; they resolve at the address in the platform. How this page was built →
Common questions
Chelsea questions, answered from the record.
How many people live in Chelsea, Massachusetts?
39,908, in 13,716 households. Chelsea city covers 2.22 square miles of land, which is 17,987 people per square mile. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
What county is Chelsea in?
Suffolk County, which holds 100.0 percent of the place by area. Source: US Census Bureau, cartographic boundary file, places, 2024 vintage.
What is the median household income in Chelsea?
$72,179. The median owner-occupied home is valued at $493,500. Median gross rent is $1,956 per month. Source: US Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates, place level, 2020-2024 5-year.
How much SBA lending goes to Chelsea businesses?
40 7(a) approvals totaling $5.2 m since FY2020, across 15 lenders, median approval $100,000, plus 12 504 approvals worth $7.3 m since FY2010. These count approvals to borrowers whose address is in Chelsea, not projects sited inside the place boundary, and they are approvals recorded in the release rather than loans disbursed.
Do SBA loans to Chelsea borrowers get paid back?
No rate is published for Chelsea. Only 8 loans have reached a final outcome, fewer than the 30 a charge-off rate needs, so no rate is published. The counts are shown instead.
Is Chelsea in the National Flood Insurance Program?
Yes. Chelsea appears in the FEMA Community Status Book as Chelsea, city of, community 250287, with no Community Rating System class, so no CRS discount applies. Whether a specific parcel sits in a mapped special flood hazard area is an address level question the platform answers.
Are the county figures on this page Chelsea figures?
No, and they are labeled so. County Business Patterns, QCEW, the Building Permits Survey, BEA product and IRS migration are published for Suffolk County as a whole and there is no place level equivalent. They appear in one clearly marked section as context and are never presented as measurements of Chelsea.
Is zoning published for Chelsea?
No. Nothing on this page presents parcel level zoning.
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