Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Cohasset earns an A, ranked 54th of 282 in Massachusetts. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, the median household earns $199K, and its public schools beat 88% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.5 million for a typical one and 12.5 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 77% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Cohasset, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 47% and U.S. towns at 29%. Its National Register listings include Government Island Historic District and Caleb Lothrop House. Cohasset's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 90% of U.S. towns.
Where Cohasset beats most towns.
Census counts: 817 in 1790, 8,381 in 2020. The archive holds 10 old photos and papers going back to 1821 and 7 maps from 1888 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Cohasset is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Cohasset. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw16 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
15 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
16 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a year
15 mi GardenBoston CommonFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Boston Common: Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Cohasset, 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 Cohasset.
Cohasset has less food insecurity than most of Massachusetts and is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
At 12.5 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.45M) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
The median rent in Cohasset is $2,755 a month. Typical home values rose 7.7% in the year to September 2026. 83% of Cohasset households own their home.
| Cohasset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,755 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.45M.
Its public schools are run by the Cohasset school district. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Cohasset High School, with 381 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph OsgoodLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 369 | – |
| Cohasset High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 381 | A+ |
| Cohasset Middle SchoolTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 300 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is food insecurity: 5% of its 6,142 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide.
13% of adults get no exercise outside work in Cohasset. Cohasset beats the Massachusetts average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 7.1% of adults smoke cigarettes in Cohasset.
| Cohasset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 19% | 25% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.1% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Cohasset | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.2% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 9.6 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 59% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
Cohasset’s property crime rate is 3.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Cohasset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
37 miles of trail in 43 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Wompatuck State Park, 876 acres with 14.3 miles of trail.
| Cohasset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.2 miles per square mile | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8.4% | 19% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wompatuck State Park | 14.3 mi | 876 |
| 2. Whitney & Thayer Woods | 7.8 mi | 527 |
| 3. Brass Kettle Conservation Area | 1.6 mi | 151 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
107 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 107 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Cohasset.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Cohasset has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 22° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Cohasset has about as many jobs (3,220) as working residents, but only 343 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 37.2 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Cohasset for work: only 10% work in town. Since 2013, Cohasset has added 943 jobs, to 3,220 in 2023. Only 7 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher average trip to work than Cohasset.
| Cohasset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $199,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 37 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 26% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
8 within 15 miles of the center of Cohasset
About 4 of every 100 Cohasset residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Coastal flooding makes up 31% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
7 places in Cohasset on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Cohasset.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Cohasset is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The town, which split off from Hingham in 1770, derives its name from the Massachusett word "Conahasset". It is an exclave of Norfolk County. As of the 2020 census, the population was 8,381.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Cohasset.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cohasset | #54 | A | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Scituate | #21 | A+ | D | A+ | A | A+ |
| Hingham | #52 | A | D | B | A | A+ |
| Hull | #163 | B | D | B | B− | A |
| North Scituate | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Scituate isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Cohasset with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Cohasset grades A overall, better than 93% of U.S. towns and #54 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
12 notable people were born here, including Stephen Bowen and Nancy Carell.
