Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Haverhill grades C− overall, ranked 249th of 282 in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 68 miles of trail and it is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 86% of U.S. towns. On the other side, its public schools trail 88% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 23 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Hazen-Spiller House and Dustin House. Haverhill’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile, near the Massachusetts town median (1.8) and above the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Haverhill is home to Northern Essex Community College.
Where Haverhill beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,408 in 1790, 67,787 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1856 and 5 maps from 1935 on.
23 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Haverhill takes its name from Haverhill in Suffolk, England, 3,260 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionHaverhill, settled in 1640, takes its name from Haverhill, a large town in Suffolk, 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 Haverhill is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Haverhill. Close and well known come first.
Big draw30 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw31 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
7 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
27 mi LakeWalden Pond
29 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
29 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Haverhill, 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 Haverhill.
Haverhill costs less than Methuen or any other town next door, is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Massachusetts.
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Boxford highest at A.
Its public schools are run by the Haverhill school district. Two of its 20 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caleb Dustin Hunking SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,062 | C |
| Haverhill HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,922 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
68 miles of trail in 32 parks and preserves. Winnekenni Park Conservation Area, at 638 acres with 12.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Winnekenni Park Conservation Area | 12.2 mi | 638 |
| 2. Brandy Brow Forest | 4.5 mi | 474 |
| 3. Meadow Brook Conservation Area | 4.5 mi | 291 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Haverhill for work: only 17% work in town. 11% of residents live below the poverty line in Haverhill, against 6% in Massachusetts’ towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns. The median household income in Haverhill is $88,000.
| Haverhill | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 17% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 27 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Haverhill has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 58 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 24.8 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 88% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Methuen (B) to Groveland (A+).
Haverhill’s violent crime rate is 3.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Haverhill | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its typical home is the least expensive on its borders; Methuen is next at $619K.
The typical Haverhill home is worth about $546,000, up 2.1% in a year, 17% below the Massachusetts typical home. 63% of Haverhill households own their home.
| Haverhill | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 79% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 60% | 52% | 48% |
| Median rent | $1,668 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 84% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its B, from Merrimac (A−) to Boxford (A+).
Haverhill beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 11. 38% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Haverhill.
| Haverhill | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 38% | 33% | 36% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 9.1% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 19% | 25% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Haverhill | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 7.1% | 5.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 16.6% | 12.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 9.3% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
79 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 79 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Haverhill.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
5 within 15 miles of the center of Haverhill
About 5 of every 100 Haverhill residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
2 colleges in town.
23 places in Haverhill on the National Register of Historic Places.
46 notable people were born in Haverhill.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Haverhill ( HAY-vril) is a city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Haverhill is located 35 miles (56 km) north of Boston on the New Hampshire border and about 17 miles (27 km) from the Atlantic Ocean. The population was 67,787 at the 2020 United States census. Located on the Merrimack River, Haverhill began as a farming community of Puritans, largely from Newbury Plantation. The land was officially purchased from the Pentuckets on November 15, 1642 (one year after incorporation) for three pounds, ten shillings. Pentucket was renamed Haverhill (after the Ward family's hometown in England) and evolved into an important industrial center, beginning with sawmills and gristmills run …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Haverhill.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Methuen (C+) is closest. North Andover next door grades higher for schools (A− to Haverhill’s D) and lower for cost of living (D− to C−).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Haverhill | #249 | C− | C− | C+ | D | B |
| Groveland | #85 | A− | C− | A+ | B+ | A |
| West Newbury | #68 | A | C | A | B+ | A+ |
| Methuen | #227 | C+ | C− | B | C | — |
| Boxford | #3 | A+ | B− | A+ | A | A+ |
| Merrimac | #46 | A+ | C | A+ | B+ | A− |
| North Andover | #79 | A | D− | A− | A− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Haverhill grades C− overall, better than 22% of U.S. towns and #249 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B for health, C+ for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Haverhill sits nearer the middle.
Yes. That is 4.7 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
46 notable people were born here, including James Rothman and Rob Zombie.
