At June 2026, Zillow ZIP-level ZORI for 01702 is $2,334, a typical observed asking-rent index blended across rental types rather than a lease-price series. The five-digit label is both a Zillow ZIP market identifier and a matched Census ZCTA; a ZCTA is a statistical area and is not identical to a USPS delivery ZIP. The index fell 4.5% on the exact same-month 1-year comparison, versus annualized gains of 0.3% across 3 years and 3.8% across 5 years. Thus, recent direction breaks from the longer positive path. This high-variability history recorded 3.9% annualized monthly-return variability, a -6.3% maximum drawdown, and 100% coverage through the stated endpoint. The transparent national discovery ranks among history-eligible ZIPs are 2,765 for momentum, 2,522 for stability, and 2,849 for balanced history; lower rank is higher. These are backward-looking measurements, not forecasts or investment recommendations, and the variability warrants limited confidence in one current asking-rent snapshot.
The matched ZCTA's ACS 2024 five-year survey reports a $2,019 median gross rent for occupied renter homes, with reported survey uncertainty. Gross rent includes selected utilities, so it is not interchangeable with Zillow’s blended asking-rent index; the current Zillow value is 15.6% above this ACS median. HUD’s FY2026 two-bedroom FMR/SAFMR standard is $2,311. FMR/SAFMR is an administrative, bedroom-specific standard rather than asking rent. These are separate evidence universes with different timing and populations. Their difference does not establish what a particular available home is priced at, what a renter actually pays, or which measure governs any program.
For bedroom orientation, the local HUD ladder has been used to scale ZIP ZORI, producing modelled monthly estimates of $1,647 for a studio, $1,779 for one bedroom, $2,334 for two bedrooms, $2,918 for three bedrooms, and $3,090 for four bedrooms. The calculation preserves the local HUD bedroom relationship while anchoring the ladder to the current blended Zillow index. These are modelled estimates, never measured bedroom rents. A listing’s condition, included utilities, lease term, furnishings, and other unreported attributes can differ, so the ladder is an orientation tool rather than a property-specific price observation. HUD remains an administrative comparator, not a claim of observed asking rents by bedroom.
The 30% required-income screen converts the $2,334 monthly index into $93,360 of annual income. The matched ZCTA’s ACS median household income is $82,496, a directly calculated $10,864 gap. This is an arithmetic screen, not advice and not an applicant qualification rule. Separately, ACS reports 4,895 of 9,353 renter households, or 52.3%, spending at least 30% of income on rent; the burdened-household estimate has reported survey uncertainty. This survey burden measure is separate from current ZORI and does not prove the cost burden, eligibility, or lease terms of any particular household or unit.
Within the matched ACS ZCTA, there are 15,049 housing units and a 5.1% overall vacancy rate. Renters occupy 65.5% of occupied homes, a tenure mix that frames the burden statistics but says nothing about an individual building. The stock includes 5,704 single-family units and 4,450 units in large multifamily structures. Census classifies 328 vacant homes as for rent. That vacancy classification is not evidence that a specific home is available, affordable, in similar condition, or represented by the Zillow index.
On wider geographic reference points, the Framingham city context asking-rent value is about $2,360; the Middlesex County context asking-rent value is $3,260; and the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro context asking-rent value is $3,210. The city comparison is close to the ZIP index, whereas the county and metro context readings are higher, but all three are wider context only. They should not be substituted for the ZIP-level ZORI or the matched-ZCTA ACS survey, and their differences neither identify property quality nor explain why rents differ. The comparisons provide scale, not a transferable pricing rule for any property.
The practical limit is that no aggregate source identifies the same physical unit at the same moment. Before comparing a listing with these figures, verify the advertised rent, bedroom count, condition, utility inclusions, parking or other recurring charges, one-time fees, availability date, furnishing status, lease term, and whether the location uses the relevant ZIP or the matched ZCTA. Also determine whether restrictions, subsidies, or program rules apply before using HUD as a comparator. These property-level checks preserve the distinction between an index, a survey, and an administrative standard. Which current written listing terms remain after those checks?