Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hopedale grades B+ overall, 113th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. The median household earns $116K. It is healthier than 86% of U.S. towns and it reports less crime per resident than 81% of U.S. towns. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $535K, 5.6 years of the Worcester metro’s $96K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 100% of U.S. towns, with 2 places on the National Register. 22% of the land in Hopedale is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 10 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on history.
Where Hopedale beats most towns.
Bancroft Memorial Library| Widest gap | Hopedale | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.4% | 5.2% |
Census counts: 1,176 in 1890, 6,017 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1887 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 Hopedale is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 98% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 9%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hopedale. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw17 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw27 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
24 mi LakeWalden Pond
35 mi MuseumUSS MassachusettsGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hopedale, 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 Hopedale.
Hopedale 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 52% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
32% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Hopedale, near the Massachusetts town median (33%) and below the median of U.S. towns (36%). 26% of Hopedale adults have been diagnosed with depression. Hopedale beats the Massachusetts average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Hopedale | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8.9% | 9.3% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Hopedale | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.4% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.5% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Hopedale school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Hopedale Jr Sr High, with 456 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| MemorialLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 558 | B |
| Hopedale Jr Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 456 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Hopedale’s trail density is 1.9 miles per square mile. 10 miles of trail in 3 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Draper Field | 0.1 mi | 9 |
| 2. Hopedale Park | — | 7 |
| 3. Ballou Park | — | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The property crime rate in Hopedale is 3.5 per 1,000 residents.
| Hopedale | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Hopedale since 2005.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hopedale has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Hopedale home is worth about $535,000, up 1.6% in a year, 18% below the Massachusetts typical home.
| Hopedale | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,788 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 80% | 79% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 22% of residents (18% statewide). 48% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Hopedale.
| Hopedale | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 48% | 47% | 29% |
| Median age | 44.4 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
56% women, 44% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±5.8 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Hopedale | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.4% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 16% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 9.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 7.7% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11.4% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.6% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 10.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.2% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 22% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.8% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.6% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.1% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.3% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Jobs based here grew from 1,721 in 2013 to 2,349.
Most working residents leave Hopedale for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Hopedale has added 628 jobs, to 2,349 in 2023. The top destinations are Boston (12%), Milford (9%) and Framingham (4%).
| Hopedale | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 2.9% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 13% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hopedale
About 6 of every 100 Hopedale residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
2 places in Hopedale on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Hopedale.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Hopedale is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located 25 miles southwest of Boston, in eastern Massachusetts. With origins as a Christian utopian community, the town was later home to Draper Corporation, a large loom manufacturer throughout the 20th century until its closure in 1980. Today, Hopedale has become a bedroom community for professionals working in Greater Boston and is home to highly ranked public schools. The population was 6,017 as of the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hopedale.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hopedale | #113 | B+ | D | A− | B− | A |
| Bellingham | #183 | B− | C | B− | C | A |
| Milford | #245 | C− | D | B− | D | B |
| Mendon | #149 | B | D− | A− | B | A |
| Upton | #82 | A | C | A | B | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Hopedale grades B+ overall, better than 74% of U.S. towns and #113 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B− for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
9 notable people were born here, including Dana Gould and Eben Sumner Draper.
_underway_c1944.jpg){kind=link}