Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Chelmsford grades A− overall, ranked 98th of 282 in Massachusetts. Residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The median household earns $141K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $674K for a typical one and 5.8 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. Chelmsford’s trail density is 1.5 miles per square mile, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 1.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. Its National Register listings include Old Chelmsford Garrison House Complex and Fiske House. Chelmsford is more walkable than 78% of U.S. towns.
Where Chelmsford beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,144 in 1790, 36,392 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1702 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Chelmsford takes its name from Chelmsford in Essex, England, 3,290 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionChelmsford, settled in 1633, takes its name from Chelmsford, a city in Essex, 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 Chelmsford is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chelmsford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
11 mi LakeWalden Pond
Big draw23 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
23 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
20 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 Chelmsford, 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 Chelmsford.
Chelmsford trades workers with Boston and other neighbors and has less tooth loss than most of Massachusetts.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 6.6% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
24% of adults have obesity in Chelmsford, against 28% in Massachusetts’ towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 10% of Chelmsford adults report frequent physical distress. Chelmsford beats the Massachusetts average on 19 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Chelmsford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Chelmsford | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.6% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Chelmsford school district. Two of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| McCarthy Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 808 | B+ |
| Chelmsford HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,402 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
35 miles of trail in 37 parks and preserves. Cranberry Bog Reservation, at 178 acres with 1.5 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Russell Mill Pond & Town Forest Reservation | 7 mi | 129 |
| 2. Thanksgiving Forest | 2.2 mi | 46 |
| 3. Cranberry Bog Reservation | 1.5 mi | 178 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 74% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 59 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chelmsford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chelmsford has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Chelmsford has about as many jobs (21,509) as working residents, but only 2,089 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Chelmsford for work: only 11% work in town. 23% of workers work from home in Chelmsford. Since 2013, Chelmsford has added 1,362 jobs, to 21,509 in 2023.
| Chelmsford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $141,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 19% of residents (24% statewide). Chelmsford has grown 6% since 2020, to 38,549 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 53% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Chelmsford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 47% | 29% |
| Median age | 41.6 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 22% | 20% | 22% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.7 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Chelmsford | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 11.7% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.7% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.3% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.2% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 16.8% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.4% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.8% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.5% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.3% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Chelmsford sits closer to the middle.
| Chelmsford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Chelmsford’s median rent is $2,062 a month. The typical Chelmsford home is worth about $674,000, up 1.2% in a year, close to the Massachusetts typical home.
| Chelmsford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,062 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 82% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Chelmsford
About 5 of every 100 Chelmsford residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
6 places in Chelmsford on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Chelmsford.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Chelmsford () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Chelmsford was incorporated in May 1655 by an act of the Massachusetts General Court. When Chelmsford was incorporated, its local economy was fueled by lumber mills, limestone quarries, and kilns. In the 1700s, the Chelmsford militia played a role in the American Revolution at the Battle of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Bunker Hill. The farming community of East Chelmsford was incorporated as Lowell in the 1820s; over the next decades it would go on to become one of the first large-scale factory towns in the United States because of its early role in the country's Industrial Revolution. Chelmsford experienc…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Chelmsford.
Lowell next door grades lower for schools (D to Chelmsford’s B+) and higher for cost of living (C to D).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chelmsford | #98 | A− | D | B | B+ | A+ |
| Tyngsborough | #220 | C+ | D | — | C+ | A |
| Lowell | #260 | D | C | C− | D | B |
| Westford | #37 | A+ | D | A | A | A+ |
| Billerica | #89 | A− | D | A− | B− | A |
| Carlisle | #2 | A+ | B | A | A+ | A+ |
Tyngsborough reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Chelmsford with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Chelmsford grades A− overall, better than 79% of U.S. towns and #98 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 D.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Chelmsford sits nearer the middle.
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.
13 notable people were born here, including Kristen Wilson and Jeffries Wyman.
