Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lakeville grades A− overall, 91st among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. The median household earns $134K. It is healthier than 82% of U.S. towns and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 75% of U.S. towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $637K for a typical one and 5.5 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. 20% of the land in Lakeville is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 8 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on history. The biggest park or preserve is Assonet Cedar Swamp Wildlife Sanctuary, at 936 acres.
Where Lakeville beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,160 in 1860, 11,523 in 2020. The archive holds 21 old photos and papers going back to 1893 and 8 maps from 1885 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Lakeville is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lakeville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw36 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw31 mi MuseumThe Breakers
14 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
26 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
Big draw36 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner MuseumGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lakeville, 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 Lakeville.
Lakeville is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 63% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 4,157 U.S. towns with household incomes like Lakeville’s, it is less healthy than 55%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
18% of adults binge drink in Lakeville, above both Massachusetts’ towns (17%) and U.S. towns (16%). Lakeville beats the Massachusetts average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 29% of adults have obesity in Lakeville.
| Lakeville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 28% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Lakeville | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.7% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.5% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.8% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Freetown-Lakeville school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Apponequet Regional High, with 640 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Freetown-Lakeville Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 699 | B |
| Apponequet Regional HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 640 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
At 9.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 57% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Its A− tops all 3 graded towns on its borders; Freetown (B−) comes closest.
The property crime rate in Lakeville is 3 per 1,000 residents.
| Lakeville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Lakeville for work: only 8% work in town. Lakeville’s average trip to work is 33 minutes. The top destinations are Boston (12%), Middleborough (6%) and Taunton (5%).
| Lakeville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $134,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 15% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 77% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lakeville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
34 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Freetown-Fall River State Forest | 0.4 mi | 586 |
| 2. Assonet Cedar Swamp Wildlife Sanctuary | — | 936 |
| 3. Clear Pond Park | — | 69 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Lakeville has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 20° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Massachusetts average. Lakeville has grown 7.9% since 2020, to 12,430 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 39% of Lakeville adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more.
| Lakeville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 39% | 47% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 16% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 43.8 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
53% women, 47% men
About 88 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.1 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Lakeville | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.6% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.6% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 10.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.2% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 10% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 11.2% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.1% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 25.4% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 18.6% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 11.1% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.8% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 11.8% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Typical home values rose 4.7% in the year to September 2026.
| Lakeville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,884 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 79% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
4 within 15 miles of the center of Lakeville
About 7 of every 100 Lakeville residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts.
Where Lakeville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Lakeville is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,523 at the 2020 census. It contains the village of North Lakeville.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Lakeville.
It grades higher overall than all 3 graded towns on its borders; Freetown (B) comes closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakeville | #91 | A− | C− | A− | B+ | A− |
| Middleborough | #218 | C+ | C− | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| North Lakeville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Taunton | #262 | D | C− | C | C− | C+ |
| Freetown | #162 | B | C− | B− | B+ | A− |
| Middleborough Center | — | — | — | — | — | — |
North Lakeville and Middleborough Center aren’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Lakeville with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Lakeville grades A− overall, better than 83% of U.S. towns and #91 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−.
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