Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Chicopee earns a D, ranked 271st of 282 in Massachusetts, mostly because of safety and schools. Its police reported 263 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025, a higher rate per resident than 82% of U.S. towns. Its public schools trail 78% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. What it does well: it is more walkable than 85% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 13 places on the National Register. Only 9 of Massachusetts’ 321 towns score lower on health. 3.8% of the land in Chicopee is conserved, below the Massachusetts town median (19%) and near the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 19 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on incomes.
Where Chicopee beats most towns.
Edward Bellamy House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 8,291 in 1850, 55,560 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1844 and 7 maps from 1886 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Chicopee is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Chicopee. Close and well known come first.
4 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
Big draw39 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
10 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
19 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
3 mi MuseumVolleyball Hall of Fame
29 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Volleyball Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Chicopee, 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 Chicopee.
Chicopee has commutes shorter than most of Massachusetts and is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s.
The typical Chicopee home is worth about $320,000, up 3.5% in a year, 51% below the Massachusetts typical home. 56% of households own their home in Chicopee, below both Massachusetts’ towns (79%) and U.S. towns (73%). Chicopee’s median rent is $1,157 a month.
| Chicopee | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 56% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,157 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Chicopee school district. Two of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellamy MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 776 | D |
| Chicopee Comprehensive High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,192 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
At 38.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 96% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 1,336 to 1,036 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The violent crime rate in Chicopee is 4.8 per 1,000 residents. Chicopee reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 82% report less. The property crime rate in Chicopee is 14 per 1,000 residents.
| Chicopee | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 14 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
38 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Chicopee Memorial State Park, 281 acres with 9.3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Chicopee Memorial State Park | 9.3 mi | 281 |
| 2. Williams Park | 0.9 mi | 14 |
| 3. Sarah Jane Sherman Park | 0.8 mi | 14 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
16% of adults report frequent physical distress in Chicopee. Chicopee beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 21. 37% of adults feel lonely in Chicopee.
| Chicopee | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 19% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Chicopee | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.9% | 5.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 18.3% | 12.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 10% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Chicopee.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Chicopee has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 9 have a higher July high than Chicopee.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 23,675 working residents takes 21.3 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Chicopee for work: only 17% work in town. Jobs based in Chicopee grew to 18,189 in 2023, 3,282 more than in 2013. 8% of Chicopee workers work from home.
| Chicopee | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 17% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $63,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 8% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
15 within 15 miles of the center of Chicopee
About 4 of every 100 Chicopee residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
13 places in Chicopee on the National Register of Historic Places.
29 notable people were born in Chicopee.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Chicopee ( CHIK-ə-pee) is a city located on the Connecticut River in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the city had a population of 55,560, making it the second-largest city in western Massachusetts after Springfield. Chicopee is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The communities of Chicopee Center (Cabotville), Chicopee Falls, Willimansett, Fairview, Aldenville, Burnett Road, Smith Highlands and Westover are located within the city. One of the ventures of the Boston Associates, Chicopee is a city built around several smaller former mill communities on its namesake, the Chicopee River. During the 19th century, the city was h…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Chicopee.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicopee | #271 | D | D | C− | C− | C |
| Holyoke | #282 | D− | C− | D− | D− | D |
| Springfield | #281 | D− | C− | D | D | D |
| West Springfield Town | #269 | D | D | D | C | C+ |
| Ludlow | #240 | C | D | B+ | C | B− |
| South Hadley | #129 | B+ | C− | B | C | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Chicopee grades D overall, better than 5% of U.S. towns and #271 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades C for health, C− for safety and C− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($71,306 across the Springfield, MA 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 D.
29 notable people were born here, including Edward Bellamy and Lilian Jackson Braun.
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