Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Belchertown grades B+ overall, 147th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. It has 94 miles of trail. It is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $108K. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $475K, 5.5 years of the Amherst Town metro’s $87K median household income. 23% of the land in Belchertown is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, 4,532 acres with 5.5 miles of trail. Belchertown's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 85% of U.S. towns.
Where Belchertown beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,485 in 1790, 15,350 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1830 and 5 maps from 1887 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Belchertown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Belchertown. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
15 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
8 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
20 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
38 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
38 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney StadiumLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Belchertown, 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 Belchertown.
Belchertown is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 62% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
24% of adults have obesity in Belchertown, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 28% and U.S. towns at 35%. 27% of Belchertown adults have been diagnosed with depression. Belchertown beats the Massachusetts average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Belchertown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 19% | 25% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Belchertown | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.1% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Belchertown school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Belchertown High, with 573 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chestnut Hill Community SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 494 | B− |
| Belchertown HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 573 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
The trail density in Belchertown is 1.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herman Covey Wildlife Management Area | 6 mi | 1,051 |
| 2. Quabbin Reservoir Reservation | 5.5 mi | 4,532 |
| 3. Quabbin Park | 2.8 mi | 195 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Belchertown for work: only 11% work in town. Jobs based in Belchertown grew to 2,818 in 2023, 266 more than in 2013. Belchertown’s average trip to work is 29 minutes.
| Belchertown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $108,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Belchertown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
87% of households own their home in Belchertown. The typical Belchertown home is worth about $475,000, up 3.1% in a year, 27% below the Massachusetts typical home.
| Belchertown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,292 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 11.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 51% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Belchertown has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 43 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Massachusetts average. 47% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Belchertown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 47% | 47% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 21% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.9 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
53% women, 47% men
About 90 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.1 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.2, men 44.8.
| Belchertown | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.6% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.8% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.7% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2.3% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22.5% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.7% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.2% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.4% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.9% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
13 within 15 miles of the center of Belchertown
About 7 of every 100 Belchertown residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts.
Where Belchertown’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Belchertown on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Belchertown.
Settlement in U.S. state of Massachusetts
Belchertown (previously known as Cold Spring and Belcher's Town) is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 15,350 at the 2020 census. The town includes the census-designated place of Belchertown. Belchertown was formerly the home of the Belchertown State School. The land on which the school sat is, as of 2016, being redeveloped for mixed uses including residential, commercial and recreational. This includes the 385-acre (156 ha) Lampson Brook Farm, used for community and sustainable agriculture, outdoor recreation, and wildlife preservation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Belchertown.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Belchertown | #147 | B+ | C− | B+ | B− | A |
| New Salem | — | — | D | — | C− | A |
| Ware | #267 | D | C+ | C | D | C+ |
| Palmer Town | #261 | D | C− | C+ | C− | B− |
| Pelham | — | — | C− | A+ | B+ | A |
| Ludlow | #240 | C | D | B+ | C | B− |
| Granby | #120 | B+ | C | A | D | A |
| Amherst Town | – | A− | D− | A− | B | A |
New Salem and Pelham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. New Salem reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Belchertown with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Belchertown grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #147 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
10 notable people were born here, including Robert S. Woodworth and Elijah Coleman Bridgman.
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