Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Falmouth’s strongest is health: it is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns. Cost of living is its weak spot: the typical home is worth about $849K, 8.9 years of the Barnstable Town metro’s $95K median household income. The overall grade comes out at B−, better than 52% of U.S. towns. It ranks 193rd of 282 in Massachusetts. Its National Register listings include Crowell-Bourne Farm and Cleveland Ledge Light Station. Falmouth's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 91% of U.S. towns. Just over a third of residents are 65 or older locally, above both Massachusetts’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (18%). History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 15 places on the National Register.
Figures: health, CDC PLACES · home values, Zillow · incomes, Census ACS, 2020–24 · National Register of Historic Places.
Where Falmouth beats most towns.
Crowell-Bourne Farm
Census counts: 1,637 in 1790, 32,517 in 2020. The archive holds 34 old photos and papers going back to 1735 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Falmouth takes its name from Falmouth in Cornwall, England, 3,100 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionFalmouth, settled in 1660, takes its name from Falmouth, a large town in Cornwall, 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 Falmouth is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Falmouth. Close and well known come first.
Big draw37 mi MuseumThe Breakers
30 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
39 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
38 mi MuseumMarble House
38 mi MuseumThe Elms
24 mi MuseumPlimoth PatuxetThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain · The Elms: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Plimoth Patuxet: Tr!sie, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Falmouth, 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 Falmouth.
Falmouth 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.
The biggest place to walk is Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management Area, 1,910 acres with 53.9 miles of trail. Walkers can cover 221 miles of trail in 81 parks and preserves. Falmouth’s concentration of trails stands at 4.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Frances A. Crane Wildlife Management Area | 53.9 mi | 1,910 |
| 2. Long Pond Watershed | 8.8 mi | 865 |
| 3. Beebe Woods | 7.5 mi | 403 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Three of its 8 schools are shown below, with the reason for each. Its public schools are run by the Falmouth school district. 6 public schools serve Falmouth, with 2,152 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| LawrenceLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 474 | B− |
| Falmouth HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 714 | A |
| North Falmouth ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 303 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 53% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
3.5% of Falmouth adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance. Only 9 of the 279 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher share of adults who had a checkup this year than Falmouth. Among adults locally, 14% binge drink and 14% report frequent mental distress. Against the Massachusetts average, Falmouth comes out ahead on 14 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 7.
| Falmouth | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 85% | 82% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Falmouth | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.3% | 11.1% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 13.4% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
28.2% of homes are seasonal or vacation homes, against 3.7% statewide, which helps explain the older median age.
For adults 25 and older in Falmouth, the share who hold a bachelor’s degree or more is 52%. The midpoint age for Falmouth comes to 56.6 years. This Massachusetts town is growing: up 2.5% since 2020, to 33,361 residents (2025 estimate).
| Falmouth | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 34% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 56.6 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 14% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 52% | 47% | 29% |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.4 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Falmouth | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.6% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 8.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 8% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 18.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 18.8% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 15.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18.1% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.4% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.6% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 27.1% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
At 8.9 years of the Barnstable Town metro’s $95K median household income, the typical home (about $849K) costs more against local pay than in 86% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
A typical home in Falmouth is worth about $849,000, up 3.7% in a year, 30% above the Massachusetts typical home. The town’s midpoint rent is $1,451 a month. In Falmouth, 82% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Falmouth | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 82% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,451 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
The Edgartown weather station, 15 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Its July high stands at 81°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The top destinations are Barnstable Town (8%), Boston (5%) and Mashpee (5%). Among workers in Falmouth, 19% work remotely from home. Half of commuters travel less than 11 miles. The typical journey to work locally is 24 minutes.
| Falmouth | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 39% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 19% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 24 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $93,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
510 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 27 properties have flooded more than once.
FEMA puts nearly three fifths of Falmouth’s expected hazard losses down to inland flooding, and 26% to hurricanes. On expected storm and flood damage, Falmouth sits below 54% of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 510 claims locally since 1978.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 342 to 263 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Falmouth sits closer to the middle. For Falmouth, the property crime rate is 5.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Falmouth | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Falmouth
About 6 of every 100 Falmouth residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
22.8% of the town is conserved land, across 81 parks and preserves.
14 places in Falmouth on the National Register of Historic Places.
17 notable people were born in Falmouth.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Falmouth ( FAL-məth) is a town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The population was 32,517 at the 2020 census, making Falmouth the second-largest municipality on Cape Cod after Barnstable. The terminal for the Steamship Authority ferries to Martha's Vineyard is located in the village of Woods Hole in Falmouth. Woods Hole also contains several scientific organizations such as the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI), the Marine Biological Laboratory (MBL), the Woodwell Climate Research Center, NOAA's Woods Hole Science Aquarium, and the scientific institutions' various museums. For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Falmouth, please see the articles on…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Falmouth.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Falmouth | #193 | B− | C− | B− | B− | A |
| East Falmouth | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mashpee | #191 | B− | D | B+ | B− | A− |
| Woods Hole | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seabrook | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| North Falmouth | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Seconsett Island | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Bourne | #222 | C+ | C− | B− | C | A |
East Falmouth, Woods Hole, Seabrook, North Falmouth and Seconsett Island aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Falmouth with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Falmouth grades B− overall, better than 52% of U.S. towns and #193 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 C−.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Falmouth sits nearer the middle.
17 notable people were born here, including Casey Affleck and Katharine Lee Bates.
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