Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Concord earns an A+, ranked 26th of 282 in Massachusetts. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, its public schools beat 97% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household earns $195K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.4 million, 12.2 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 27 places on the National Register. 79% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Concord, above both Massachusetts’ towns (47%) and U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Ralph Waldo Emerson House and Old Manse. Concord is more walkable than 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Concord beats most towns.
Old Manse| Widest gap | Concord | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 11.9% |
Old Manse is one of 6 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,590 in 1790, 18,491 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1705 and 7 maps from 1886 on.
27 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Concord is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Concord. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
in town LakeWalden Pond
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw16 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Big draw38 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
14 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Concord, 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 Concord.
Concord has schools in the top 5% of Massachusetts and keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts, but it reports more crime than Bedford and its other graded neighbors.
At 12.2 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.41M) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living.
Concord’s median rent is $2,631 a month.
| Concord | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,631 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 76% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #4 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.41M.
Its public schools are run by the Concord school district. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concord MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 643 | A− |
| Concord Carlisle HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,191 | A+ |
| AlcottTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 438 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its 5,799 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 88% of Massachusetts towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #3 of 283 in Massachusetts.
The trail density in Concord is 4.9 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Estabrook Woods, 575 acres with 7.1 miles of trail. 125 miles of trail in 114 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Walden Pond State Reservation | 9.5 mi | 263 |
| 2. Wright Woods | 9.1 mi | 254 |
| 3. Estabrook Woods | 7.1 mi | 575 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 5.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
28% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Concord. Concord beats the Massachusetts average on 21 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 6.9% of adults smoke cigarettes in Concord.
| Concord | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Concord | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.6% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Concord is safe by national standards, yet each of the 5 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Bedford (A) to Lincoln (A+). At 8.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 65% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 45 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Concord.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Concord 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
36.1% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Concord for work: only 12% work in town. 36% of Concord workers work from home. Jobs based in Concord grew to 11,392 in 2023, 1,099 more than in 2013.
| Concord | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 36% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $195,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
22 within 15 miles of the center of Concord
About 6 of every 100 Concord residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
35.3% of the town is conserved land, across 114 parks and preserves.
27 places in Concord on the National Register of Historic Places.
57 notable people were born in Concord.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Concord () is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. In the 2020 census, the town population was 18,491. It contains the census-designated place of West Concord. The United States Census Bureau considers Concord part of Greater Boston. The town center is near where the Sudbury and Assabet rivers join to form the Concord River. The town was established in 1635 by a group of English settlers as the first inland colonial settlement in New England. By 1775, the population had grown to 1,400. As dissension between colonists in North America and the British crown intensified, 700 troops were sent to confiscate militia ordnance stored at Concord on April 19, 1775. The ensuing co…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Concord.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Concord grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #26 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−.
57 notable people were born here, including Henry David Thoreau and Steve Carell.
