Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Billerica grades A− overall, 89th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. It has 54 miles of trail. The median household earns $148K and it is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $697K for a typical one and 6 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. Billerica’s median rent is $2,282 a month, above both the Massachusetts town median ($1,682 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Its National Register listings include Middlesex Canal and Billerica Mills Historic District. Billerica is more walkable than 77% of U.S. towns.
Where Billerica beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,191 in 1790, 42,119 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1696 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Billerica is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Billerica. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw17 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
9 mi LakeWalden Pond
17 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
15 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Billerica, 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 Billerica.
Billerica trades workers with Boston and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts; it also trails Carlisle and its other neighbors on schools.
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 67% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 2,868 U.S. towns with household incomes like Billerica’s, it is healthier than 64%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
25% of adults have obesity in Billerica. Billerica beats the Massachusetts average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 29% of adults have high blood pressure in Billerica.
| Billerica | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 28% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 9.3% | 12% |
| What stands out | Billerica | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.3% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Each of its 5 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its B−, Carlisle highest at A+.
Its public schools are run by the Billerica school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–7 | Grades 5–7 | 596 | C+ |
| Billerica Memorial High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 8–12 | Grades 8–12 | 1,816 | B− |
| Shawsheen Valley Vocational Technical High SchoolTop results in townGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,282 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Billerica’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile. Billerica State Forest, at 383 acres with 10.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Billerica State Forest | 10.3 mi | 383 |
| 2. Vietnam Veterans Park | 5.1 mi | 233 |
| 3. Jones Town Forest | 4.6 mi | 122 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 43 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Billerica is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Billerica | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
279 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 48 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 279 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Billerica.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Billerica has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Billerica has about as many jobs (25,209) as working residents, but only 2,539 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Billerica for work: only 12% work in town. Since 2013, Billerica has added 3,672 jobs, to 25,209 in 2023. 20% of Billerica workers work from home.
| Billerica | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $148,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 20% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Massachusetts average. 40% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Billerica | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 18% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 40% | 47% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.3 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.8 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 43.9, men 42.2.
| Billerica | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.9% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.7% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.1% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.3% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 26.4% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.5% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.8% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 14.2% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Billerica home is worth about $697,000, up 2.6% in a year, 6% above the Massachusetts typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
12 within 15 miles of the center of Billerica
About 6 of every 100 Billerica residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
9 places in Billerica on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Billerica.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Billerica (pronounced bil-RIK-ə) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 42,119 according to the 2020 census. The town is located in Eastern Massachusetts approximately 18 miles (29 km) northwest of Boston. It takes its name from the town of Billericay in Essex, England.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Billerica.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Billerica | #89 | A− | D | A− | B− | A |
| Wilmington | #108 | A− | D | B | B | A |
| Bedford | #36 | A+ | D | A | A | A+ |
| Carlisle | #2 | A+ | B | A | A+ | A+ |
| Pinehurst | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Chelmsford | #98 | A− | D | B | B+ | A+ |
| Burlington | #131 | B+ | D | C+ | B+ | A+ |
Pinehurst isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Billerica with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Billerica grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #89 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B− 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.
12 notable people were born here, including Brett Maron and Julius Sumner Miller.
