Best places to live in Massachusetts
2 Massachusetts metros scored on the default family weighting — schools and safety heaviest, then affordability, climate, college pipeline and jobs. Change the weights on the ranking engine to see your own order.
Who lives in Massachusetts
Population-weighted racial and ethnic composition across the 2 tracked Massachusetts metros, from Census ACS table B03002.
- White (non-Hispanic)
- 66.2%
- Hispanic or Latino
- 12.6%
- Black (non-Hispanic)
- 6.5%
- Asian (non-Hispanic)
- 8.2%
- Other or two or more
- 6.5%
Diversity index 66/100 — how evenly the population is spread across these groups. It is descriptive, not a judgement: weight it up, down or to zero on the ranking engine.
| # | Metro | Score | US rank | Typical home | Schools | Safety | Climate | Diversity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Boston | 60.8 | #13 of 103 | $726k | 60 | 78 | 22° / 82° | 67 |
| 2 | Worcester | 49.4 | #57 of 103 | $477k | 37 | 78 | 17° / 82° | 60 |
Figures are compiled estimates. Methodology and sources.