State place rankings
Best Places in Massachusetts
Compare places by General Quality score or population. Each place links to its sourced facts, scores, and local summary.
General Quality score
Best overall places
- st
Brookline, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 63,266
- Median home value
- $1,246,800
- nd
Newton, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 90,741
- Median home value
- $1,264,900
- rd
Arlington, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 46,350
- Median home value
- $933,800
- th
Wellesley, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 30,347
- Median home value
- $1,582,700
- th
Needham, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 32,459
- Median home value
- $1,188,500
- th
Lexington, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 34,295
- Median home value
- $1,203,100
- th
Belmont, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 27,175
- Median home value
- $1,159,000
- th
Milton, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 28,587
- Median home value
- $933,200
- th
Winchester, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 23,406
- Median home value
- $1,215,200
- th
Reading, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 25,612
- Median home value
- $809,000
- th
Marblehead, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 20,413
- Median home value
- $943,900
- th
Somerville, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 84,211
- Median home value
- $911,300
- th
Melrose, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 29,597
- Median home value
- $822,900
- th
Newburyport, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 19,148
- Median home value
- $834,000
- th
Hingham, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 5,130
- Median home value
- $1,255,700
- th
Sharon, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 6,232
- Median home value
- $677,900
- th
Wakefield, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 27,793
- Median home value
- $723,500
- th
Andover, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 9,451
- Median home value
- $726,100
- th
Medfield, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 6,849
- Median home value
- $815,300
- th
Watertown, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 35,710
- Median home value
- $784,600
- st
Cambridge, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 122,588
- Median home value
- $1,092,100
- nd
Hopkinton, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 3,426
- Median home value
- $666,400
- rd
Medford, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 59,834
- Median home value
- $755,500
- th
Dedham, MA
Census-designated place
- General Quality
- Population
- 25,237
- Median home value
- $661,800
- th
Waltham, MA
City
- General Quality
- Population
- 65,037
- Median home value
- $748,700
How this list is ranked
Places are ordered by General Quality score. General Quality is a balanced livability composite spanning safety, affordability, healthcare, climate, education, jobs, mobility, outdoors, taxes, and other core factors.
Largest to smallest
Population-ranked places
- st
Boston, MA
City
- Population
- 672,973
- Median home value
- $731,700
- Median rent
- $2,147
- nd
Worcester, MA
City
- Population
- 213,862
- Median home value
- $374,400
- Median rent
- $1,487
- rd
Springfield, MA
City
- Population
- 154,702
- Median home value
- $245,000
- Median rent
- $1,144
- th
Cambridge, MA
City
- Population
- 122,588
- Median home value
- $1,092,100
- Median rent
- $2,787
- th
Lowell, MA
City
- Population
- 119,971
- Median home value
- $429,200
- Median rent
- $1,625
- th
Brockton, MA
City
- Population
- 106,134
- Median home value
- $437,500
- Median rent
- $1,641
- th
Lynn, MA
City
- Population
- 104,236
- Median home value
- $510,100
- Median rent
- $1,722
- th
Quincy, MA
City
- Population
- 103,173
- Median home value
- $618,500
- Median rent
- $2,118
- th
New Bedford, MA
City
- Population
- 101,834
- Median home value
- $357,300
- Median rent
- $1,137
- th
Fall River, MA
City
- Population
- 95,298
- Median home value
- $395,500
- Median rent
- $1,155
- th
Newton, MA
City
- Population
- 90,741
- Median home value
- $1,264,900
- Median rent
- $2,370
- th
Lawrence, MA
City
- Population
- 89,320
- Median home value
- $415,200
- Median rent
- $1,662
- th
Somerville, MA
City
- Population
- 84,211
- Median home value
- $911,300
- Median rent
- $2,517
- th
Framingham, MA
City
- Population
- 73,021
- Median home value
- $627,300
- Median rent
- $2,033
- th
Haverhill, MA
City
- Population
- 68,361
- Median home value
- $453,900
- Median rent
- $1,668
- th
Malden, MA
City
- Population
- 66,370
- Median home value
- $633,500
- Median rent
- $2,204
- th
Waltham, MA
City
- Population
- 65,037
- Median home value
- $748,700
- Median rent
- $2,268
- th
Brookline, MA
Census-designated place
- Population
- 63,266
- Median home value
- $1,246,800
- Median rent
- $2,835
- th
Taunton, MA
City
- Population
- 62,522
- Median home value
- $422,800
- Median rent
- $1,324
- th
Revere, MA
City
- Population
- 60,141
- Median home value
- $597,400
- Median rent
- $2,076
- st
Medford, MA
City
- Population
- 59,834
- Median home value
- $755,500
- Median rent
- $2,509
- nd
- Population
- 59,759
- Median home value
- $552,100
- Median rent
- $1,941
- rd
Peabody, MA
City
- Population
- 55,953
- Median home value
- $596,200
- Median rent
- $1,950
- th
Chicopee, MA
City
- Population
- 55,310
- Median home value
- $274,500
- Median rent
- $1,157
- th
Methuen, MA
City
- Population
- 54,584
- Median home value
- $499,700
- Median rent
- $1,749
How this list is ranked
Places are ordered by their latest available population estimate. Incorporated places and census-designated places are both eligible when they appear in the published location data.
Annual Census population estimates are used where available; ACS place estimates fill coverage gaps.