Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Edgartown's standout: it has 112 miles of trail. Overall it grades B−, ranked 209th of 282 in Massachusetts. It is healthier than 81% of U.S. towns and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.9 million for a typical one and 14.9 times the Vineyard Haven area’s $126K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Edgartown’s typical home value is $1,872,000, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at $633,000 and U.S. towns at $332,000. On civic life, just 21 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Edgartown Village Historic District and Edgartown Harbor Light.
Where Edgartown beats most towns.
Edgartown Village Historic District
Census counts: 1,332 in 1790, a low of 1,156 in 1890, 5,168 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1782 and 5 maps from 1889 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Edgartown is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Edgartown, 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 Edgartown.
Edgartown is a second-home town and has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
At 14.9 years of the Vineyard Haven area’s $126K median household income, the typical home (about $1.87M) costs more against local pay than in 99% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Edgartown’s median rent is $1,796 a month. Typical home values rose 6.5% in the year to September 2026. 87% of households own their home in Edgartown.
| Edgartown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,796 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Edgartown school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Edgartown ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 357 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 65% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 5,034 U.S. towns with household incomes like Edgartown’s, it is healthier than 52%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
26% of Edgartown adults have obesity. Edgartown beats the Massachusetts average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 20% of Edgartown adults get no exercise outside work.
| Edgartown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 28% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 82% | 82% | 79% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 4.6% | 3.7% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Edgartown | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10% | 12.4% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 9.1% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
62.9% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 3.7% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
The median age in Edgartown is 51.9 years. Edgartown has grown 5.4% since 2020, to 5,446 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. Only 6 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Edgartown.
| Edgartown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 10% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 51.9 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 56% | 47% | 29% |
47% women, 53% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.9 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 65% are men (MA 50%).
| Edgartown | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 5.6% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 4.4% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.7% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 19.7% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 7.5% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.4% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 16.3% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.4% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.5% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.3% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 10.9% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10.9% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 35.2% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.1% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 38 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Edgartown.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Edgartown weather station records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
Edgartown has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 79°, January nights drop to 25° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The biggest place to walk is Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary, 189 acres with 4.3 miles of trail.
| Edgartown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 9.1% | 19% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Felix Neck Wildlife Sanctuary | 4.3 mi | 189 |
| 2. Caroline Tuthill Preserve | 3.5 mi | 155 |
| 3. South Beach State Park | 2.9 mi | 68 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The average commute for its 1,821 working residents takes 11.5 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
No town among the 283 in Massachusetts we compare has a lower average trip to work than Edgartown. Since 2013, Edgartown has added 298 jobs, to 1,924 in 2023. About one in 3 of Edgartown’s working residents works in town.
| Edgartown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 12 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 33% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $125,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Edgartown sits closer to the middle.
| Edgartown | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Edgartown. Close and well known come first.
31 mi Ancient siteSS Pendleton
40 mi MuseumPlimoth Patuxet
39 mi MuseumGerman corvette Hiddensee
30 mi National SeashoreCape Cod National Seashore3.7M visitors a year
36 mi Theme parkEdaville Railroad
in town GardenMytoiSS Pendleton: United States Coast Guard, Richard C. Kelsey, Public domain · Plimoth Patuxet: Tr!sie, CC BY-SA 3.0 · German corvette Hiddensee: Wikimaster97commons, CC BY 3.0 · Cape Cod National Seashore: SeduisantRedux, CC BY 3.0 · Edaville Railroad: Dan Crow, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mytoi: ROxBo at English Wikipedia, Public domain
None within 15 miles of Edgartown; the nearest are
About 4 of every 100 Edgartown residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
4,067 counted in 2010 and 5,168 in 2020; an estimated 5,446 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 5.4% since 2020, after 27.1% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Edgartown on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Edgartown.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Edgartown is a town on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts, for which it is the county seat. The town's population was 5,168 at the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. It was once a major whaling port, with historic houses that have been carefully preserved. Today it hosts yachting events around its large harbor. Edgartown also includes Chappaquiddick Island, a peninsula accessible by ferry.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Edgartown.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edgartown | #209 | B− | D | B− | C+ | A− |
| Oak Bluffs | #172 | B | C+ | C+ | B | A− |
| West Tisbury | #143 | B+ | D | A− | B | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Edgartown grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #209 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A− for health, B− for safety and C+ 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 Edgartown 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.
5 notable people were born here, including Edward Dalton Marchant and Ben Pease.
