Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Acton earns an A+, 20th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, its public schools beat 92% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household earns $158K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $859K for a typical one and 7.4 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. 80% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Acton, above both the Massachusetts town median (47%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Only 4 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on history. Acton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Acton beats most towns.
Faulkner Homestead| Widest gap | Acton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.5% | 5.2% |
Census counts: 853 in 1790, 24,021 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1707 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Acton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Acton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw29 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
6 mi LakeWalden Pond
Big draw37 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw20 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
21 mi AttractionFreedom TrailFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Acton, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
Ordered by what stands out in Acton.
Acton trades workers with Boston and other neighbors, has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts and pairs an A for schools with high home prices.
Spring Hill Conservation Land, at 213 acres with 3.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Count the trails in 41 parks and preserves and they come to 61 miles. For Acton, the density of trails is 3.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Great Hill Conservation Land | 4.3 mi | 195 |
| 2. Spring Hill Conservation Land | 3.9 mi | 213 |
| 3. Nashoba Brook Conservation Land | 2.9 mi | 122 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
That grade comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $859K.
Three of its 8 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. The public schools here belong to the Acton-Boxborough school district. Public school enrollment locally: 2,848 students across 6 schools.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Raymond J Grey Junior HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 824 | A |
| Acton-Boxborough Regional HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,622 | A+ |
| Luther Conant SchoolTop results in townGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 410 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 2.5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide.
Acton: nearly a third of adults feel lonely. 13% of adults in Acton report frequent mental distress; 9.1% report frequent physical distress.
| Acton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.2% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Acton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.5% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.1% | 11.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 14 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
The level of property crime for Acton comes to 3.5 per 1,000 residents. The rate of reported violence for Acton comes to 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Acton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
FEMA expects less storm and flood damage in Acton than in just over four fifths of U.S. communities. Since 1978, Acton has seen 35 flood insurance claims paid out. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Acton after 12 declared disasters, most recently in 2018.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Acton’s going rate for rent is $1,986 a month. Homes here are typically worth about $859,000, up 0.7% in a year, 31% above the Massachusetts typical home. A home in Acton typically sold within 18 days of listing.
| Acton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,986 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 75% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
A winter brings about 59 inches of snow, with January nights at 16° and July afternoons at 84°.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Acton has about as many jobs (10,354) as working residents, but only 1,145 people both live and work here. 35.9% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Employers in Acton added 1,361 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 10,354. The average commute here is 35 minutes. The top destinations are Boston (17%), Cambridge (9%) and Waltham (5%). The share of residents in Acton who live below the poverty line: 3.4%.
| Acton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 36% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $158,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
11 within 15 miles of the center of Acton
About 5 of every 100 Acton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
8 places in Acton on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Acton.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Acton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, approximately 21 miles (34 km) west-northwest of Boston along Massachusetts Route 2 west of Concord and about ten miles (16 km) southwest of Lowell. The population was 24,021 in April 2020, according to the United States Census Bureau. It is bordered by Westford and Littleton to the north, Concord and Carlisle to the east, Stow, Maynard, and Sudbury to the south and Boxborough to the west. Acton became an incorporated town in 1735. The town employs the Open Town Meeting form of government with a town manager and an elected, five-member select board. Acton was named the 11th Best Place To Live among small towns in the country…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Acton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Acton grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #20 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
13 notable people were born here, including Drew Houston and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
