Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Blandford’s subject grades are an A+ for the outdoors and an A for history; the weakest is a D for walkability. 31% of residents are 65 or older in Blandford, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 18% across U.S. towns. On walkability, just 1 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Blandford's schools rank behind 77% of the state's. 49% of the land in Blandford is conserved, above both the Massachusetts town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Tolland State Forest, at 721 acres with 2.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Blandford has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Blandford beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,416 in 1790, a low of 479 in 1920, 1,215 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1822 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Blandford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Blandford. Close and well known come first.
20 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
20 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
33 mi MountainMount Greylock
32 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
35 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
21 mi TheatreTanglewoodSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Blandford, 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 Blandford.
45 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. The trail density in Blandford is 0.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tolland State Forest | 2.2 mi | 721 |
| 2. Blandford / Huntington Wce (Stanton-Cook, Tomkins And Beesaw Lots) | 0.4 mi | 329 |
| 3. Herrick Knittel Conservation Area | 0.3 mi | 249 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
97% of Blandford households own their home. The typical Blandford home is worth about $368,000, up 4.2% in a year, 44% below the Massachusetts typical home. Blandford’s median rent is $1,047 a month.
| Blandford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 97% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,047 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Blandford. Since 2013, Blandford has added 53 jobs, to 113 in 2023. The top destinations are Westfield (12%), Springfield (9%) and Northampton (5%).
| Blandford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.3% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2014, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Blandford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Blandford beats the Massachusetts average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 27% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Blandford.
| Blandford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 82% | 79% |
| What stands out | Blandford | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.2% | 11.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Blandford has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 14° and about 77 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Blandford
About 2 of every 100 Blandford residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
7 notable people were born in Blandford.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Blandford is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,215 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield metropolitan area, Massachusetts. It was the home of the Blandford Ski Area. The town contains the census-designated place of the same name.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
7 notable people were born here, including Homer Boss and George Ashmun.
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