Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Great Barrington's standout: it has 62 miles of trail and 44% conserved land. Overall it grades C+, ranked 224th of 282 in Massachusetts. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 84% of the country and it is more walkable than 96% of U.S. towns. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $608K for a typical one and 8 times the Pittsfield metro’s $76K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 14 places on the National Register. 44% of the land in Great Barrington is conserved, above both Massachusetts’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On hazard risk, just 21 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Beartown State Forest, at 4,939 acres with 23.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Great Barrington beats most towns.
Du Bois, William E.B., Boyhood Homesite is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,373 in 1790, 7,172 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1865 and 7 maps from 1885 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Great Barrington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Great Barrington. Close and well known come first.
5 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
9 mi TheatreTanglewood
39 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
30 mi MountainMount Greylock
39 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
25 mi MuseumOlana State Historic SiteNorman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Great Barrington, 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 Great Barrington.
Great Barrington keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Massachusetts (mostly inland flooding) and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
Its 12,659 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 97% of Massachusetts towns.
62 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. Great Barrington’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile, below the Massachusetts town median (1.8) but above the median of U.S. towns (0.4).
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beartown State Forest | 23.4 mi | 4,939 |
| 2. Monument Mountain Reservation | 5.9 mi | 475 |
| 3. Tom Ball Mountain Reserve | 4.6 mi | 414 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Berkshire Hills school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Monument Mt Regional High, with 431 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Muddy Brook Regional Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 365 | B |
| Monument Mt Regional HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 431 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 56% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
15% of Great Barrington adults binge drink. Great Barrington beats the Massachusetts average on 10 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 83% of Great Barrington adults had a checkup this year.
| Great Barrington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Great Barrington | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.6% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.7% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
People 65 and older are 29% of residents (18% statewide); children under 18 are 15% of residents (19% statewide). The median age in Great Barrington is 49.7 years. 50% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Great Barrington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 29% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 15% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 49.7 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 50% | 47% | 29% |
52% women, 48% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.2 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Great Barrington | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 4.5% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.4% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 12.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 8.8% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 9.6% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 15.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 13.7% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.7% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 23% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.4% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.1% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.4% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 26.4% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Great Barrington has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Great Barrington’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 95% of Massachusetts towns, with expected losses of about $444 per resident a year; that rating is what its C for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1979, 34 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Great Barrington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 2,540 working residents takes 21.8 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
About one in 3 of Great Barrington’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Great Barrington fell to 3,536 in 2023, 639 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Pittsfield (10%), Stockbridge (6%) and Sheffield (6%).
| Great Barrington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 32% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $84,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
At 8 years of the Pittsfield metro’s $76K median household income, the typical home (about $608K) costs more against local pay than in 81% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; West Stockbridge is next at $687K.
The typical Great Barrington home is worth about $608,000, up 2.7% in a year, 7% below the Massachusetts typical home. 69% of households own their home in Great Barrington.
| Great Barrington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 69% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,314 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Great Barrington sits closer to the middle.
| Great Barrington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Great Barrington
About 11 of every 100 Great Barrington residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
43.5% of the town is conserved land, across 33 parks and preserves.
14 places in Great Barrington on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Great Barrington.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Great Barrington is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 7,172 at the 2020 census. Both a summer resort and home to Ski Butternut, a ski resort, Great Barrington includes the villages of Great Barrington, Van Deusenville, and Housatonic.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Great Barrington.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Great Barrington | #224 | C+ | D− | B− | B− | A− |
| Egremont | — | — | C | A− | C | A− |
| Housatonic | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Alford | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Stockbridge | — | — | C+ | B+ | B− | A− |
| West Stockbridge | — | — | D | — | B− | A |
| Monterey | — | — | C− | — | C | A |
Egremont, Stockbridge, West Stockbridge and Monterey have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. West Stockbridge and Monterey report no FBI crime data of their own. Housatonic and Alford aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Great Barrington with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Great Barrington grades C+ overall, better than 39% of U.S. towns and #224 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 D−.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Great Barrington 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−.
26 notable people were born here, including W. E. B. Du Bois and Laura Secord.
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