Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Yes, by almost any measure. Carlisle earns an A+, ranked 2nd of 282 in Massachusetts. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, its public schools are among the best in Massachusetts, and the median household earns $250K. Its lowest mark, a B, is in cost of living. 87% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Carlisle, above both Massachusetts’ towns (47%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 1 of Massachusetts’ 324 towns score higher on cost of living. Carlisle's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns.
Where Carlisle beats most towns.
| Widest gap | Carlisle | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.2% | 11.9% |
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Carlisle School | PK–8 | 612 |
Census counts: 555 in 1790, 5,237 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1700 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Carlisle takes its name from Carlisle in Cumbria, England, 3,100 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionCarlisle, settled in 1651, takes its name from Carlisle, a large town in Cumbria, England.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Carlisle is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Carlisle. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw31 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
7 mi LakeWalden Pond
Big draw19 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
20 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
17 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 Carlisle, 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 Carlisle.
Carlisle is among the three healthiest towns in Massachusetts and has schools in the top 5% of Massachusetts, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
At 11.2 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.3M) costs more against local pay than in 94% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its B for cost of living.
The typical Carlisle home is worth about $1,301,000, up 1.2% in a year, 99% above the Massachusetts typical home. 94% of Carlisle households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #1 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Carlisle school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Carlisle SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 612 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
67 miles of trail in 62 parks and preserves. Carlisle’s trail density is 4.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Great Brook Farm State Park, 912 acres with 21.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Great Brook Farm State Park | 21.7 mi | 912 |
| 2. Greenough Land | 4.1 mi | 235 |
| 3. Towle Land | 3.2 mi | 109 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
It ranks #2 of the 279 Massachusetts towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 3.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Carlisle. Only 3 of the 279 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Carlisle. 8.8% of adults report frequent physical distress in Carlisle.
| Carlisle | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Carlisle | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.2% | 11.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 1.8% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Carlisle is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Carlisle | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Carlisle since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
38.5% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Only 3 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower share of residents below the poverty line than Carlisle. Since 2013, Carlisle has added 174 jobs, to 839 in 2023. Most working residents leave Carlisle for work: only 6% work in town.
| Carlisle | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 1.5% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 6.4% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Carlisle has chilly, snowy winters and warm 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
10 within 15 miles of the center of Carlisle
About 4 of every 100 Carlisle residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
20.8% of the town is conserved land, across 62 parks and preserves.
2 places in Carlisle on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Carlisle is a town located northwest of Boston in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town had a population of 5,237.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Carlisle.
At #2 in MA, it grades higher overall than all 6 graded towns on its borders; Acton (A+) comes closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Carlisle grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #2 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A+ for schools.
That is 11.2 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 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 B.
