Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Holyoke grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns, mostly because of safety and schools. It reports more crime per resident than 98% of U.S. towns, including 489 violent crimes reported to the FBI in 2025. Its public schools trail 97% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. One bright spot: it has 85 miles of trail and 38% conserved land. 27% of residents live below the poverty line in Holyoke, above both the Massachusetts town median (6%) and the median of U.S. towns (9.6%). On health, just 1 of Massachusetts’ 321 towns do worse. Holyoke is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 94% of U.S. towns.
Where Holyoke beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
Census counts: 3,245 in 1850, a peak of 60,203 in 1920, 38,247 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1853 and 7 maps from 1886 on.
17 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Holyoke is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Holyoke. Close and well known come first.
8 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
12 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
in town MuseumVolleyball Hall of Fame
20 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
31 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
40 mi MountainMount GreylockSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Volleyball Hall of Fame: John Phelan, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Holyoke, 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 Holyoke.
Holyoke keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts, but it reports violent crime at 4 times the Massachusetts rate and has poverty well above the Massachusetts rate.
Its 5,500 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 91% of Massachusetts towns.
85 miles of trail in 47 parks and preserves. Holyoke’s trail density is 3.8 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Mount Tom State Reservation, 1,608 acres with 23.8 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Tom State Reservation | 23.8 mi | 1,608 |
| 2. Ashley Watershed | 13.6 mi | 1,432 |
| 3. East Mountain Wildlife Management Area | 6.9 mi | 552 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D−, Southampton highest at B−.
Its public schools are run by the Holyoke school district. Two of its 18 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holyoke Community Charter SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 701 | D |
| Holyoke HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,569 | C− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime runs at 13 per 1,000 residents, 4 times the Massachusetts rate; the Safety Grade counts each violent crime four times, so this weighs most on its D−. Each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from West Springfield Town (D) to Southampton (A−).
The violent crime rate in Holyoke is 13 per 1,000 residents. Only 1 of the 277 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher property crime rate than Holyoke. Holyoke reports more crime per resident than most U.S. towns we grade: about 98% report less.
| Holyoke | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 13 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 35.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
All 5 graded neighbors score healthier than its D, from Chicopee (C) to South Hadley (A).
30% of Holyoke adults say their health is fair or poor. Of the 279 Massachusetts towns we compare, none has a higher share of adults who report frequent physical distress than Holyoke. 20% of Holyoke adults report frequent mental distress.
| Holyoke | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 15% | 19% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 12% | 14% |
| Food insecurity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 9.1% | 14% |
| No health insurance, 18–64 (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 3.7% | 8.1% |
| What stands out | Holyoke | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More uninsured adults | 14.8% | 5.2% |
| More adults facing food insecurity | 29.1% | 12.4% |
| More adults facing a utility shut-off | 15.4% | 7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Holyoke home is worth about $331,000, up 4.3% in a year, 50% below the Massachusetts typical home. 41% of households own their home in Holyoke.
| Holyoke | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 41% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,021 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Holyoke has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 65% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Holyoke.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The average commute for its 15,104 working residents takes 19.3 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
About one in 4 of Holyoke’s working residents works in town. Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 2 have a lower median household income than Holyoke. The top destinations are Springfield (14%), Chicopee (7%) and Northampton (6%).
| Holyoke | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 19 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $54,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 24% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 11% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
15 within 15 miles of the center of Holyoke
About 3 of every 100 Holyoke residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
37.9% of the town is conserved land, across 47 parks and preserves.
17 places in Holyoke on the National Register of Historic Places.
53 notable people were born in Holyoke.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Holyoke () is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States, that lies between the western bank of the Connecticut River and the Mount Tom Range. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 38,248. Located 8 miles (13 km) north of Springfield, Holyoke is part of the Springfield Metropolitan Area, one of the two distinct metropolitan areas in Massachusetts. Holyoke is among the early planned industrial cities in the United States. Built in tandem with the Holyoke Dam to utilize the water power of Hadley Falls, it is one of a handful of cities in New England built on the grid plan. During the late 19th century the city produced an estimated 80% of the writing paper used in th…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Holyoke.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its D−; Chicopee (D) is closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holyoke | #282 | D− | C− | D− | D− | D |
| South Hadley | #129 | B+ | C− | B | C | A |
| Chicopee | #271 | D | D | C− | C− | C |
| Southampton | #124 | B+ | C | A− | B− | A |
| Easthampton | #232 | C+ | D | B+ | C+ | — |
| West Springfield Town | #269 | D | D | D | C | C+ |
| Westfield | #229 | C+ | C− | B | C | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Holyoke grades D− overall, in the bottom 2% of U.S. towns. It grades D for health, D− for safety and D− for schools. Safety is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. That is 4.6 years of the area's median household income ($71,306 across the Springfield, MA 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−.
53 notable people were born here, including Morris Swadesh and Ann Dowd.
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