Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Charlemont’s best subject grades are an A− for health and an A+ for history and civic life; its weakest is a D− for schools. 7% of residents are under 18 in Charlemont, below both Massachusetts’ towns (20%) and U.S. towns (22%). No town in Massachusetts scores lower than Charlemont on incomes. FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 78% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. 23% of the land in Charlemont is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. On civic life, just 7 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Charlemont Village Historic District and Bissell Bridge. Charlemont has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Charlemont beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Charlemont Village Historic District| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Hawlemont Regional | PK–6 | 71 |
| The Academy at Charlemont | 6–12 | 92 |
| The Academy at Charlemont | 6–12 | 92 |
Census counts: 665 in 1790, 1,185 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1627 and 5 maps from 1886 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Charlemont is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Charlemont. Close and well known come first.
16 mi MountainMount Greylock
39 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
34 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
19 mi MuseumClark Art Institute
30 mi TheatreTanglewood
34 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell MuseumMount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Clark Art Institute: Daderot, Public domain · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Charlemont, 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 Charlemont.
Its public schools are run by the Hawlemont school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hawlemont RegionalLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 71 | D |
| The Academy at Charlemont PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 92 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests
The typical Charlemont home is worth about $344,000, about the same as a year ago, 48% below the Massachusetts typical home. The median rent in Charlemont is $1,023 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Charlemont beats the Massachusetts average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 26% of adults have obesity in Charlemont.
| Charlemont | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 28% | 35% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Charlemont | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.5% | 11.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Only 9 of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher FEMA risk score than Charlemont. Since 2006, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Charlemont.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
43 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves. Charlemont’s trail density is 1.6 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Catamount State Forest, at 85 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Catamount State Forest | — | 85 |
| 2. Mohawk Park | 0.1 mi | 17 |
| 3. Hail to the Sunrise Memorial Park | — | 4 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Charlemont has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 13° and about 85 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
14% of Charlemont residents live below the poverty line. Among 284 Massachusetts towns, just 2 have a lower median household income than Charlemont. Since 2013, Charlemont has added 97 jobs, to 394 in 2023.
| Charlemont | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $53,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 14% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
2 within 15 miles of the center of Charlemont
About 1 of every 100 Charlemont residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
4 places in Charlemont on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Charlemont.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Charlemont is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,185 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($74,907 across the Greenfield, MA area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
4 notable people were born here, including Orlando B. Potter and Celeste M. A. Winslow.
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