Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Holbrook grades B overall, ranked 165th of 282 in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $115K and residents are healthier than 82% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $558K, 4.8 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. Holbrook’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, above both Massachusetts’ towns (30 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). Holbrook is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns. Holbrook has 2 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Holbrook Square Historic District and Roberts School.
Where Holbrook beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,130 in 1880, 11,405 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1850 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Holbrook is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Holbrook. Close and well known come first.
Big draw15 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw15 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
16 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
15 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a year
31 mi MuseumUSS MassachusettsFenway 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 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Holbrook, 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 Holbrook.
Holbrook is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts; it also has commutes longer than most of Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 64% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 6,415 U.S. towns with household incomes like Holbrook’s, it is healthier than 63%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
27% of adults have obesity in Holbrook. Holbrook tracks Massachusetts closely on all 32 CDC measures. 35% of adults feel lonely in Holbrook.
| Holbrook | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 28% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 25% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 81% | 82% | 79% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Holbrook school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is Holbrook Middle High School, with 665 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F KennedyLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 685 | C+ |
| Holbrook Middle High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 665 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
The average commute for its 6,084 working residents takes 37.9 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Holbrook for work: only 5% work in town. Jobs based in Holbrook grew to 2,612 in 2023, 247 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Boston (26%), Braintree Town (6%) and Quincy (5%).
| Holbrook | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $115,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 12% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 9.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
10 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Holbrook’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Tumbling Brook Conservation Area, at 54 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sumner Field | 0.4 mi | 12 |
| 2. Tumbling Brook Conservation Area | 0.1 mi | 54 |
| 3. Sylvan Lake Conservation Area | — | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 28 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Holbrook.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Holbrook has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 20° and about 34 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 24 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 84% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 173 to 150 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
The property crime rate in Holbrook is 10.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Holbrook | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 10.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Holbrook home is worth about $558,000, up 2.7% in a year, 15% below the Massachusetts typical home. 84% of Holbrook households own their home.
| Holbrook | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,094 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
24 within 15 miles of the center of Holbrook
About 5 of every 100 Holbrook residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Holbrook’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
2 places in Holbrook on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Holbrook.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Holbrook is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. As of 2023, the town's population was 11,405.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Holbrook.
Braintree Town next door grades higher for schools (B+ to Holbrook’s C+) and lower for cost of living (D to C).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holbrook | #165 | B | C | C+ | C+ | A− |
| Avon | #192 | B− | C | C | C− | B+ |
| Braintree Town | #134 | B+ | D | C+ | B+ | A |
| Randolph Town | #239 | C | D | B− | C− | B+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Holbrook grades B overall, better than 61% of U.S. towns and #165 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A− for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools.
Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Holbrook sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
3 notable people were born here, including Edgar S. Brightman and Ollie Hanson.
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