Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Hubbardston grades B+ overall, ranked 117th of 282 in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It reports less crime per resident than 89% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $124K. It also does better than most on health: residents are healthier than 69% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. Its lowest everyday mark is in schools: its public schools trail 72% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. A typical home there costs about $479K, 5 years of the Worcester metro’s $96K median household income. 46% of the land in Hubbardston is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. On cost of living, just 2 of Massachusetts’ 324 towns do better. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 92% of U.S. towns.
Where Hubbardston beats most towns.
Census counts: 934 in 1790, a low of 934 in 1790, 4,328 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1806 and 5 maps from 1946 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Hubbardston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Hubbardston. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
18 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
34 mi LakeWalden Pond
26 mi MountainMount Monadnock
40 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
19 mi Stadium & arenaDCU CenterLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Hubbardston, 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 Hubbardston.
Hubbardston reports less crime than Princeton or any other graded neighbor, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Massachusetts.
Its 12,145 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 98% of Massachusetts towns.
32 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Ware River Watershed, at 8,836 acres with 6.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Hubbardston’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, against 1.8 in Massachusetts’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hubbardston State Forest | 7.9 mi | 991 |
| 2. Ware River Watershed | 6.2 mi | 8,836 |
| 3. Hidden Meadow | 1.9 mi | 150 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Quabbin school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hubbardston CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 304 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its A tops all 4 graded towns on its borders; Princeton (A) comes closest. Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Hubbardston’s violent crime rate is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Hubbardston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Hubbardston has 404 jobs for its 2,039 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Hubbardston for work: only 5% work in town. The average trip to work in Hubbardston is 36 minutes. Jobs based in Hubbardston grew to 404 in 2023, 24 more than in 2013.
| Hubbardston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 36 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $124,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.7% | 9.9% | 8% |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
94% of households own their home in Hubbardston. The typical Hubbardston home is worth about $479,000, up 4.3% in a year, 27% below the Massachusetts typical home.
| Hubbardston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $953 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 80% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 5,239 U.S. towns with household incomes like Hubbardston’s, it is less healthy than 70%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
27% of Hubbardston adults have been diagnosed with depression. Hubbardston beats the Massachusetts average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 18% of Hubbardston adults binge drink.
| Hubbardston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Hubbardston | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8% | 11.9% |
| More adults seeing a dentist | 73% | 69.8% |
| More adults with arthritis | 30% | 25.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Hubbardston has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 14° and about 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
3 within 15 miles of the center of Hubbardston
About 4 of every 100 Hubbardston residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
45.5% of the town is conserved land, across 13 parks and preserves.
4 places in Hubbardston on the National Register of Historic Places.
3 notable people were born in Hubbardston.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Hubbardston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town population was 4,328. It is situated 18 miles north of Worcester and 53 miles west of Boston; it is distinguished in Massachusetts by being unusually high, at 1015 feet above sea level.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Hubbardston.
Westminster next door grades higher for schools (B to Hubbardston’s C) and lower for cost of living (D to B).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hubbardston | #117 | B+ | B | A | C | B+ |
| Princeton | #18 | A+ | B− | A | B+ | A |
| Barre | #230 | C+ | C+ | B− | C | B− |
| Gardner | #250 | C− | C+ | B− | C− | C |
| Westminster | #166 | B | D | B | B | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Hubbardston grades B+ overall, better than 72% of U.S. towns and #117 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B+ for health, A for safety and C for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a D.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B.
3 notable people were born here, including Ethan Allen Greenwood and Freeman Brown.
