Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Becket’s subject grades are an A for history and civic life and an A− for the outdoors; the weakest is a D for cost of living. No town among the 284 in Massachusetts we compare has a higher share of households owning their home than Becket. 24% of the land in Becket is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. October Mountain State Forest, at 2,625 acres with 9.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. On the outdoors, just 29 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Becket has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Becket beats most towns.
Jacob's Pillow Dance Festival
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1898.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Becket is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Becket. Close and well known come first.
28 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
25 mi MountainMount Greylock
12 mi TheatreTanglewood
13 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
30 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
30 mi MuseumClark Art InstituteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Becket, 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 Becket.
The typical Becket home is worth about $396,000, up 1.6% in a year, 39% below the Massachusetts typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Central Berkshire school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Becket Washington SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 91 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Becket beats the Massachusetts average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 30% of Becket adults feel lonely, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 33% and U.S. towns at 33%. 83% of Becket adults had a checkup this year.
| Becket | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 33% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 28% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Becket | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.6% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.3% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Becket for work: only 4% work in town. The average trip to work in Becket is 36 minutes. Since 2013, Becket has lost 84 jobs, to 195 in 2023.
| Becket | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 12% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $80,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 3.9% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
31 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Becket’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. October Mountain State Forest | 9.5 mi | 2,625 |
| 2. Becket Quarry | 5 mi | 273 |
| 3. Walnut Hill Wildlife Management Area | 0.5 mi | 113 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Adults 35 to 64 are 48% of residents (39% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide). 15% of residents are under 18 in Becket. 45% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Becket | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 49.6 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 45% | 47% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 19% | 18% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±9.4 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Becket | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.1% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.2% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.2% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 19% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.6% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.8% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23.1% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.5% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.3% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.3% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,900, single groups can be off by several points
Among 284 Massachusetts towns, just 7 have a lower July high than Becket. Becket has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 52% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Becket.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Becket; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Becket residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Becket’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Becket on the National Register of Historic Places.
7 notable people were born in Becket.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Becket is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,931 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Becket.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Becket | — | — | D | B+ | B− | A− |
| Middlefield | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Otis | — | — | C+ | A− | B | B+ |
| Washington | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Tyringham | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Lee | #237 | C | D | B− | C | A− |
| Chester | — | — | C | — | C− | B+ |
Becket, Otis and Chester have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Chester reports no FBI crime data of its own. Middlefield, Washington and Tyringham aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Becket with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 5.2 years of the area's median household income ($76,013 across the Pittsfield, MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
7 notable people were born here, including Eliza Roxcy Snow and Joseph Plumb Martin.
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