Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hampden grades B overall, 171st among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. It has 22 miles of trail. Residents are healthier than 83% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $105K. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $453K for a typical one and 6.4 times the Springfield metro’s $71K median household income. Hampden’s density of trails is 1.1 miles per square mile, below the Massachusetts town median (1.8) but above the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Thornton W. Burgess House is on the National Register of Historic Places. Hampden's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Hampden beats most towns.
Census counts: 958 in 1880, a low of 624 in 1920, 4,966 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1879 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Hampden is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hampden. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
9 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
10 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
21 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
25 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
24 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney StadiumLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hampden, 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 Hampden.
Hampden has seen reported crime fall by about half, has added a third more jobs in ten years and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 61% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
The share of adults 18 to 64 in Hampden who have no health insurance: 3.1%. Just over a quarter of Hampden adults have been diagnosed with depression, above both Massachusetts’ towns (24%) and U.S. towns (23%). On the CDC’s 32 measures, Hampden is ahead of Massachusetts on 10 and behind on 3. In Hampden, 30% of adults have obesity, and 7.6% worry about having enough food.
| Hampden | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 35% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 3.1% | 3.7% | 8.1% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 7.6% | 9.1% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hampden | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.1% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.2% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The Hampden-Wilbraham school district runs its public schools. Its one school is below. The town’s only public school teaches 285 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Green Meadows ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 285 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Jobs based here grew from 705 in 2013 to 952.
For most workers, Hampden is a place to come home to: only 8% work in town. This Massachusetts town had 952 jobs in 2023, up 247 from 2013. 3.8% of residents live below the poverty line locally. The top destinations are Springfield (23%), East Longmeadow (5%) and Wilbraham (5%).
| Hampden | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 9.9% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.8% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
For Hampden, the rent at the middle of the market is $1,132 a month. Home values are up 5.7% over the year to September 2026. Hampden: 95% of households are owner-occupiers.
| Hampden | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 95% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,132 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary, at 371 acres with 3.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 12 parks and preserves cover 874 acres in Hampden.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Minnechaug Mountain | 5.6 mi | 258 |
| 2. Laughing Brook Wildlife Sanctuary | 3.1 mi | 371 |
| 3. Goat Rock Conservation Area | 1.5 mi | 37 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
In July, afternoons reach 84°; in January, nights fall to 17°, and about 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Reported crimes fell from 117 to 16 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Hampden sits closer to the middle. The property offense rate locally is 2.4 per 1,000 residents.
| Hampden | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Hampden’s natural-hazard score from FEMA is 52 of 100. Federal disaster aid has reached households in Hampden after 7 declared disasters, most recently in 2013. Expected losses in Hampden break down as 72% from inland flooding and 13% from hurricanes. The national flood insurance program has paid 17 claims here since 1979.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
9 within 15 miles of the center of Hampden
About 5 of every 100 Hampden residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Hampden’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Hampden is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 4,966 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The namesake of Hampden is John Hampden, an English patriot.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
2 towns share a border with Hampden.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hampden grades B overall, better than 60% of U.S. towns and #171 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 Hampden 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 C−.
2 notable people were born here, including Bill Green and Dan Haseltine.
_-_2025.svg){kind=link}
.jpg){kind=link}