Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ipswich grades A overall, 59th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. It has 103 miles of trail and 39% conserved land. The median household earns $139K and it is healthier than 93% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: homes are expensive, about $847K for a typical one and 7.3 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 99% of U.S. towns, with 32 places on the National Register. 39% of the land in Ipswich is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Its National Register listings include John Whipple House and Castle Hill. Ipswich's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 89% of U.S. towns.
Where Ipswich beats most towns.
John Whipple House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 4,562 in 1790, a low of 2,553 in 1820, 13,785 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1720 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
32 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Ipswich takes its name from Ipswich in Suffolk, England, 3,290 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionIpswich, settled in 1633, takes its name from Ipswich, a city in Suffolk, 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 Ipswich is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Ipswich. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw28 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
26 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
31 mi LakeWalden Pond
28 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a year
25 mi MuseumBunker Hill MonumentFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bunker Hill Monument: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Ipswich, 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 Ipswich.
Ipswich keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts, trades workers with Boston and other neighbors and has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts.
Its 10,529 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 94% of Massachusetts towns.
103 miles of trail in 82 parks and preserves. Ipswich’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile, against 1.8 in Massachusetts’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. The biggest place to walk is Willowdale State Forest, 2,188 acres with 41.7 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Willowdale State Forest | 41.7 mi | 2,188 |
| 2. Crane Estate | 10.7 mi | 1,682 |
| 3. Dow / Bull Brook Reservoir Lands | 3.7 mi | 349 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Ipswich school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Ipswich High, with 447 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 377 | B |
| Ipswich HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 447 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 2.8% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide. Against the 3,681 U.S. towns with household incomes like Ipswich’s, it is healthier than 74%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
28% of Ipswich adults feel lonely. Ipswich beats the Massachusetts average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 14% of Ipswich adults report frequent mental distress.
| Ipswich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 82% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Ipswich | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.8% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.6% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
Ipswich’s violent crime rate is 0.3 per 1,000 residents.
| Ipswich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Ipswich home is worth about $847,000, up 2.2% in a year, 29% above the Massachusetts typical home. The median rent in Ipswich is $1,598 a month.
| Ipswich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,598 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 74% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Ipswich has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 19° and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Ipswich has about as many jobs (5,482) as working residents, but only 1,113 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Ipswich for work: only 18% work in town. The top destinations are Boston (10%), Beverly (7%) and Danvers (4%). Half commute less than 13 miles.
| Ipswich | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $139,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 30 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Ipswich.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
9 within 15 miles of the center of Ipswich
About 4 of every 100 Ipswich residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Coastal flooding makes up 22% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
32 places in Ipswich on the National Register of Historic Places.
21 notable people were born in Ipswich.
Town in Massachusetts
Ipswich ( ) is a coastal town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 13,785 at the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. Home to Willowdale State Forest and Sandy Point State Reservation, Ipswich includes the southern part of Plum Island. A residential community with a vibrant tourism industry, the town is famous for its clams, celebrated annually at the Ipswich Chowderfest, and for Crane Beach, a barrier beach near the Crane estate. Ipswich was incorporated as a town in 1634.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Ipswich.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ipswich | #59 | A | C− | A | B+ | A |
| Essex | #67 | A | D | B+ | A | A+ |
| Hamilton | #44 | A+ | D | A | A− | A+ |
| Rowley | #140 | B+ | C− | — | B− | A+ |
| Topsfield | #5 | A+ | C+ | A | A | A+ |
| Gloucester | #217 | C+ | C− | B | C | B+ |
| Boxford | #3 | A+ | B− | A+ | A | A+ |
Rowley reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Ipswich with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Ipswich grades A overall, better than 92% of U.S. towns and #59 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 C−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
21 notable people were born here, including Arthur Wesley Dow and Rufus Choate.
