The 10 Best Places To Live In Massachusetts For 2022

The 10 Best Places To Live In Massachusetts For 2022

Kudos to Newton for holding onto the title of best place to live in Massachusetts for the second year running. An affluent suburb of Boston, there’s a lot about Newton that makes it an enviable place to live. For starters, the poverty level and unemployment rate in Newton are both the 5th lowest in the state, sitting at 4.3% and 3.3% respectively. It’s also place with the 4th lowest crime rate in Mass.

Newton takes education seriously. I mean, it is home to a campus of the prestigious Boston College and Lasell University. So it’s no surprise that three-quarters of residents have at least a bachelor’s degree and nearly 50% have a master’s degree or higher. Having these schools around comes with other perks, like being able to catch an Eagles game at Alumni Stadium without traveling far. In terms of public schools, Newton’s school district spends about 20% more per student than the statewide average, so you know your kiddo will get all the resources they need to succeed here. And it pays off because Newton has the lowest high school dropout rate in Massachusetts. That’s just part of the reason why we included Newton in our list of the best family cities in Mass.

If you do decide to settle down in Newton, you should know it won’t come cheap. Newton has the most expensive home prices in the state at $952,100. Residents also earn the highest median household income, though, at $154,398/year. You may want a job paying around that much if you want to live comfortably here. Especially since the cost of living in Newton is roughly 115% higher than the national average.

We’re sticking around the Greater Boston area for our 2nd best place to live in Massachusetts, Melrose. Like Newton, Melrose is one of the richest places in Massachusetts, so you’d better come prepared for that reality. Homes go for a median price of $599,600, the 5th highest in the state. Residents also enjoy the 2nd highest median household income, though, so it all works out as long as your home is bringing in around $114,604/year.

The poverty level and unemployment rate are the lowest in Massachusetts, at 3.9% and 4.2%. Seeing as economic difficulties and criminal activities usually correlate, it’s no surprise that these low numbers also make Melrose incredibly safe. In fact, Melrose had the 3rd lowest crime rate in the state, roughly 75% lower than the national average.

On the less statistical side of things, there are a lot of great spots for outdoorsmen and women in the Melrose area. A local favorite would be Middlesex Fells Reservation, a massive park with hiking, mountain biking, kayaking, and plenty more on offer.

Beverly is a city of 42,062 located on Massachusetts’ North Shore. If having shows and concerts in your area is a big draw for you, then you may consider bumping Beverly up a few spots on this list. With the Larcom Theatre putting on new musical and performing arts acts every month and The Cabot hosting concerts as well as movies, you’ll never have to think hard about what to do on date night.

Parents will also be delighted to learn that the Beverly School District spends roughly 50% more per student than the Massachusetts average. And you won’t have to worry about your children’s safety in Beverly either, because the crime rate here is about 75% lower than the national average and ranks as the lowest in Massachusetts.

As for the economy, there are no red flags in Beverly. Unemployment is low at 2.6% and the poverty level of 10.3% is the 13th lowest in Mass. And while a median household income of $84,354/year is on the low end for this list, it’s still the 9th highest in the state.

It’s hard to know where to start with a city as amazing as Cambridge. Globally known as the home to Harvard and MIT, living in Cambridge gives you access to all the attendant goodies that come with the prestigious institutions. Like having some of the best museums in the state, for both art and natural history. It’s no surprise that a place with so much going on is also one of the fastest growing cities in Massachusetts.

There’s no question about it: if you want to live in a place with young people and fresh ideas, Cambridge is going to be an absolute delight for you. It’s the youngest place on this list, with a median age of 30. It’s also the 2nd most densely populated spot in the state, so it’s impossible to be far from the action here. Congregating in Harvard Square will probably be your first stop on any day or night out with friends.

There’s only one catch to Cambridge: it’s one of the most expensive cities in Massachusetts. The cost of living is about 80% higher than the national average and homes go for the 2nd highest median price in the state. In other words, you might want to make sure your household is earning in or around $107,490/year if you want to live comfortably in Cambridge.

Newburyport is a small city located on the southern bank of the Merrimack River, five miles south of New Hampshire. This historic seaport has a population with a median age of 45, making it the oldest place we’ll be covering on this list. That experience comes in handy when making an equitable economy. Only 5.5% of residents live below the poverty level, the 3rd lowest rate in Massachusetts. And since older folks with plenty of cash don’t usually go in for crime, Newburyport having the 5th lowest crime rate in the state is unsurprising.

The motto “stay in school” certainly applies in Newburyport, which has the 2nd lowest high school dropout rate in Mass. That dedication pays off, because Newburyport enjoys some seriously high paychecks, with the median household income at $110,740/year. Which is kind of necessary when you’re also paying the 4th most for homes in the state.

Downtown Newburyport is plenty scenic on its own, but we recommend spending a day on Plum Island as well. Anyone who’s into beaches, bird-watching, fishing, or relaxing is guaranteed to have a good time here.

Located about 25 minutes west of Boston, Waltham comes in as the 6th best place to live in Massachusetts. Public schools in Waltham can give every student the attention they need because their 11:1 student-teacher ratio is 20% better than the statewide average. Parents have more reason to love Waltham because at $95,851/year, residents enjoy the 7th highest median household income in Mass. And the economy works for everyone in Waltham because unemployment and poverty rates are both around the lowest in the state. If you work in higher education, you might just be able to snag a job at Bentley or Brandeis University, the city’s top employers.

The crime rate in Waltham is the 6th lowest in Massachusetts, so you don’t need to worry about criminal activity going down in Prospect Hill Park. You just have to worry if the day is clear enough for an epic view of Boston’s skyline.

As a bonus perk to living in Waltham, know that you’ll have the 11th shortest commute time in the state and the lowest you’ll see on this list at 25 minutes on average.

Located about 10 miles north of Boston, Woburn comes in as the 7th best place to call home in Massachusetts. The cost of living in Woburn is substantially higher than the national average, but compared to Newton and Melrose, it’s actually quite affordable. And you still get access to great outdoorsy spaces, like Horn Pond. People seem to be taking notice of this economical advantage because Woburn’s population has been growing at a fairly rapid pace in recent years.

Woburn has the 11th lowest crime rate in Mass, so you don’t need to worry about hooligans messing up your good time here. If an unfortunate accident does befall you, though, it should be alright in the end, seeing as 98.1% of residents have health insurance, the 4th highest rate in the state.

You shouldn’t have trouble locking down a job and staying afloat in Woburn, because the unemployment rate is just 5.6. And most people do pretty well for themselves here, because the median household income is $92,084/year.

We’re going to take a short drive north up to another Boston suburb to reach our 8th best city in Massachusetts, Medford. Medford has the 6th lowest unemployment rate in Mass at 3.4% and the 8th lowest levels of poverty at 8.6%. Since gainfully employed people who earn good money have little reason to commit crimes, Medford also has the 10th lowest crime rate in the state as well.

Medford is also home to the highly-acclaimed Tufts University, so if having some of the state’s smartest people in your neighborhood sounds like a good thing, you’ll feel right at home here. These smarts really pay off for residents, who enjoy the 6th highest median household income in Mass at $101,168/year.

Somerville is a city of 81,175 located just northwest of Boston. If you like to be in the center of the action, Somerville is probably your best bet. Not only is it the most densely populated city in Massachusetts, but it’s also the most densely populated city in all of New England. That’s part of the reason we named Somerville the best city for singles in Massachusetts. There’s no central business district in Somerville, but a spread of different neighborhoods with their own personalities. This gives you a variety of options for how to spend your free time, from the shopaholic paradise of Assembly Row to the vibrant nightlife of Davis Square.

You may want to brush up on your trivia before a pub quiz night in Somerville because people here are hyper-educated. About 30% of residents have a master’s degree, PhD, or professional degree, to give you an idea. That level of education helps residents earn the 5th highest median household income in the state at $102,311/year. Which is welcome when you’re also paying the 3rd highest home prices in the state at $709,800.

We’re finishing our tour of Massachusetts’ best of the best with Peabody, a city of 53,004 in the North Shore region. Peabody has the 15th cheapest median home price of cities on this list, at $419,500, so it’s easier to get your foot in the door here. In fact, the cost of living in Peabody is only a hair higher than the Massachusetts average, making it the most affordable spot on this list. On the other hand, at $80,681/year, it’s also the place with the lowest median household income on this list.

Peabody is incredibly safe, recording the 9th lowest crime rate in Massachusetts for 2022. And if something unfortunate does happen, you’re probably covered, because 97.2% of residents have health insurance, the 13th highest rate in the state. It isn’t hard to stay healthy in Peabody, though. That’s because you can pick your own fresh produce from Brooksby Farm, year-round.

Methodology: How We Calculated The Best Cities To Live In Massachusetts

Now that we had our set of cities, it was time to rank them.

We ranked each place in Massachusetts across a number of criteria from one to 39, with one being the best.

We then took the average rank across all criteria, with the city posting the lowest overall score being crowned the winner of the title “Best Place To Live In Massachusetts”.

The criteria we looked at were:

• Median Home Values
• Median Income
• Population Density (Higher better)
• Unemployment Rate
• Commute Time
• Crime
• Education Levels
• Health Insurance Coverage
• Poverty rates

Sources of criteria include the New Census Data and FBI Crime Data. You can download the data here.

After the dust settled, what was the best place to live in Massachusetts? That would be Newton.

If your city or town isn’t among the top 10, jump down to the bottom of the post to see a detailed chart of the best places in Massachusetts.

Otherwise, buckle up for a ride down good living lane with Newton at the end of the cul-de-sac.