Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Hingham earns an A, 52nd of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. It is healthier than 98% of U.S. towns, the median household earns $178K, and its public schools beat 94% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.3 million, 11.6 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. 76% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hingham, against 47% in Massachusetts’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Hingham is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 95% of U.S. towns. Hingham's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 93% of U.S. towns.
Where Hingham beats most towns.
Old Ship Meetinghouse is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,085 in 1790, 24,284 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1678 and 7 maps from 1888 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Hingham takes its name from Hingham in Norfolk, England, 3,290 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionHingham, settled in 1633, takes its name from Hingham, a village in Norfolk, 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 Hingham is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for health (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 6%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hingham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw14 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
13 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
14 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a year
13 mi City parkBoston CommonFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Boston Common: Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hingham, 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 Hingham.
Hingham has less food insecurity than most of Massachusetts, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
At 11.6 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.34M) costs more against local pay than in 95% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to that grade.
Homes sold in Hingham spent a median 25 days on the market. In the year to September 2026, typical home values climbed 8.4%. Also worth knowing: the midpoint rent for Hingham comes to $2,465 a month.
| Hingham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,465 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
That grade comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.34M.
Three of its 13 schools are below, each with the reason it’s listed. The public schools here belong to the Hingham school district. 4 public schools serve Hingham, with 1,752 students in all.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hingham Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 798 | A |
| Hingham HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,066 | A+ |
| South ElementaryTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 496 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
For Hingham, the concentration of trails is 3.5 miles per square mile. In 74 parks and preserves, walkers have 86 miles of trail. Wompatuck State Park, at 2,200 acres with 33.7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wompatuck State Park | 33.7 mi | 2,200 |
| 2. Bare Cove Park | 7.5 mi | 386 |
| 3. Worlds End Reservation | 6.7 mi | 259 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is food insecurity: 5.4% of its 18,074 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide.
Of 32 CDC measures, Hingham beats the Massachusetts average on 21 and trails it on 2. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in Hingham. Two figures for adults here: 7.3% smoke cigarettes, 25% have obesity.
| Hingham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.3% | 11% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 28% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Hingham | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.4% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.4% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
100 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Of the losses FEMA expects in Hingham, 63% come from inland flooding and 11% from hurricanes. Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in four fifths of U.S. communities. The national flood insurance program has paid 100 claims here since 1978.
FEMA disaster declarations and aid · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The average commute for its 10,418 working residents takes 36.1 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts. Jobs based here grew from 11,088 in 2013 to 15,182.
The share of workers in Hingham who work remotely from home: 33%. Most working residents leave Hingham for work: only 13% work in town. Employers in Hingham added 4,094 jobs between 2013 and 2023, to 15,182. The town’s typical journey to work is 36 minutes.
| Hingham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 33% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $178,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.3% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Hingham sits closer to the middle. The town’s rate of thefts and burglaries comes in at 7.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Hingham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
32 within 15 miles of the center of Hingham
About 3 of every 100 Hingham residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Coastal flooding makes up 9% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
6 places in Hingham on the National Register of Historic Places.
26 notable people were born in Hingham.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Hingham ( HING-əm) is a town in northern Plymouth County in the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Part of the Greater Boston region, it is located on the South Shore of Massachusetts. At the 2020 census, the population was 24,284. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. Hingham is known for its colonial history and location on Boston Harbor. The town was named after Hingham, Norfolk, England, and was first settled by English colonists in 1633.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Hingham.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hingham | #52 | A | D | B | A | A+ |
| Hull | #163 | B | D | B | B− | A |
| Weymouth Town | #186 | B− | D | B− | C | A |
| Cohasset | #54 | A | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Norwell | #57 | A | D | — | A | A+ |
| Scituate | #21 | A+ | D | A+ | A | A+ |
Norwell reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Hingham with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Hingham grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #52 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, B for safety and A 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 Hingham 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 James Hall and Levi Lincoln Sr..
