Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Hamilton earns an A+, 44th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. Residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, it reports less crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns, and the median household earns $130K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $879K, 7.6 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 7 places on the National Register. 37% of the land in Hamilton is conserved, above both Massachusetts’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). On hazard risk, just 23 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do better. Hamilton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Hamilton beats most towns.
Hamilton Historic District
Census counts: 889 in 1850, 7,561 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1673 and 8 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 Hamilton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hamilton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw23 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
21 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
28 mi LakeWalden Pond
20 mi MuseumBunker Hill Monument
23 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a yearFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bunker Hill Monument: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hamilton, 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 Hamilton.
Hamilton keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts and has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
Its 3,476 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 90% of Massachusetts towns.
62 miles of trail in 27 parks and preserves. At 4.2 miles per square mile, Hamilton’s trail density is above both the Massachusetts town median (1.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, at 644 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Bradley Palmer State Park | 11.2 mi | 485 |
| 2. Appleton Farms Grass Rides | 7.4 mi | 282 |
| 3. Manchester Watershed | 5.9 mi | 267 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its A− for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $879K.
Its public schools are run by the Hamilton-Wenham school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hamilton-Wenham Regional High, with 448 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles River MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 391 | A |
| Hamilton-Wenham Regional HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 448 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 2.7% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide.
29% of adults feel lonely in Hamilton. Hamilton beats the Massachusetts average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Hamilton.
| Hamilton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 11% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Hamilton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.7% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.2% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 5 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Hamilton is 2.6 per 1,000 residents.
| Hamilton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 2006, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Hamilton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 7.6 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $879K) costs more against local pay than in 76% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living. 65.8% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.8% across Massachusetts.
Hamilton’s median rent is $1,794 a month. The typical Hamilton home is worth about $879,000, up 1.4% in a year, 34% above the Massachusetts typical home. 85% of Hamilton households own their home.
| Hamilton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,794 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 85% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Hamilton for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Boston (20%), Beverly (12%) and Danvers (4%). Half commute less than 17 miles.
| Hamilton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $130,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.3% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Hamilton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 19° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
8 within 15 miles of the center of Hamilton
About 7 of every 100 Hamilton residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts.
7 places in Hamilton on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Hamilton.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Hamilton is a town in the eastern central portion of Essex County in eastern Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 7,561. Notably, the town has no industrially-zoned land. Although Hamilton is a landlocked town in the North Shore region of Massachusetts, its proximity to it provides easy access to the Atlantic seashore with its reservations, beaches and boating. Hamilton is closely tied to neighboring Wenham, sharing a school system, library, recreation department, and commuter rail station.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Hamilton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Hamilton grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #44 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.
10 notable people were born here, including Bo Burnham and Michael Carter Williams.
