{"items": [{"author": "David Chudzicki", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/106120852580068301475", "anchor": "gp-1432220880200", "service": "gp", "text": "There might be something worth doing with the individual-level \"Public Use Microdata\" \u00a0ACS data. Might not get you much more/different from the HUD numbers (based on the same survey), but may at least let you do your own adjustments etc. instead of relying on theirs.\n
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\nHere's a data dictionary to see what you get:\u00a0\nhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/pums/DataDict/PUMSDataDict13.pdf\n. The \"RNTP\" variable is for rent.\n
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\nThe biggest challenge with this data is that the geographic information you get is very coarse. Here's a map of the Boston area PUMAs (\"public use microdata areas\"):\u00a0\nhttp://proximityone.com/puma/puma10_ma_boston2.png\n (from 2010, but it's probably similar now).\n
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\nHere's a link that'll take you a few clicks from the data download:\u00a0\n
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\nhttp://www.census.gov/acs/www/data_documentation/public_use_microdata_sample/\n.\u00a0", "timestamp": 1432220880}, {"author": "Adam Yie", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/114873051319510815414", "anchor": "gp-1432221041154", "service": "gp", "text": "The list of towns that comprise the Boston-Cambridge-Quincy area makes me want to scream.", "timestamp": 1432221041}, {"author": "David", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/114866247689691019800", "anchor": "gp-1432227408152", "service": "gp", "text": "The Boston-Cambridge-Quincy towns seem to be largely \"everything inside 128\", whereas the \"all Boston\" list on Craigslist has (a few) listings outside 495. \u00a0But I'd expect that to actually bring the Craigslist numbers down.", "timestamp": 1432227408}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1432229701804", "service": "gp", "text": "@David\n\u00a0\"the 'all Boston' list on Craigslist has (a few) listings outside 495\"\n
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\nI should have been clearer on this, but the CraigsList data I'm using is just Boston and the closer in suburbs: Cambridge, Somerville, Brookline, Everett, and the closer in parts of Winthrop, Revere, Malden, Medford, Arlington, Belmont, Watertown, Newton, Milton, and Quincy. \u00a0 It's 42.255594 to 42.4351936 and -71.1828231 to -70.975800, the colored square on\u00a0\nhttp://www.jefftk.com/apartment_prices/index#2015-04-18&2", "timestamp": 1432229701}, {"author": "Jeff Kaufman", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/103013777355236494008", "anchor": "gp-1432229745262", "service": "gp", "text": "@David\n\u00a0This is almost all the listings, though, so it wouldn't change things much to include the larger area as long as we still weighted by listings.", "timestamp": 1432229745}, {"author": "David", "source_link": "https://plus.google.com/114866247689691019800", "anchor": "gp-1432230348583", "service": "gp", "text": "Yeah, I'd expect the majority of towns outside that square to be cheaper than the ones inside. \u00a0On further (spot) inspection, the BCQ list seems to have most everything inside 495. \u00a0If there's enough apartments for rent in those towns, that might account for some of the difference.", "timestamp": 1432230348}]}