Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lexington is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 10th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, the median household earns $238K, and its schools outperform 97% of the state's. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.6 million, 13.4 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 18 places on the National Register. 84% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lexington, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 47% and U.S. towns at 29%. Lexington is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Buckman Tavern and Lexington Green.
Where Lexington beats most towns.
Buckman Tavern| Widest gap | Lexington | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.9% | 11.9% |
Buckman Tavern is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 941 in 1790, 34,454 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1710 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Lexington is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lexington. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw10 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
6 mi LakeWalden Pond
8 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard Stadium
11 mi AttractionFreedom TrailFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lexington, 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 Lexington.
Lexington has schools in the top 5% of Massachusetts and draws workers from Boston and beyond, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half.
At 13.4 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.55M) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Lexington’s median rent is $2,891 a month. The typical Lexington home is worth about $1,551,000, up 2.7% in a year, more than twice the Massachusetts typical home.
| Lexington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,891 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 81% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #4 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we grade for schools. Its A+ is the best School Grade on its borders; Winchester (A) is next.
Its public schools are run by the Lexington school district. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wm Diamond MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 936 | A+ |
| Lexington HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 2,405 | A+ |
| Jonas Clarke MiddleTop results in townGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 796 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
66 miles of trail in 73 parks and preserves. The trail density in Lexington is 4.0 miles per square mile. Arlington's Great Meadows, at 176 acres with 4.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Whipple Hill | 5.9 mi | 115 |
| 2. Arlington's Great Meadows | 4.1 mi | 176 |
| 3. Minute Man National Historical Park | 2.8 mi | 129 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 4.9% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
20% of Lexington adults have obesity. No town among the 279 in Massachusetts we compare has a lower share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Lexington. 8.9% of Lexington adults have diabetes.
| Lexington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 5.8% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Lexington | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.9% | 11.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.2% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
24,023 jobs are based in Lexington, 1.6 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 36.7% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Lexington for work: only 11% work in town. 37% of workers work from home in Lexington. Jobs based in Lexington grew to 24,023 in 2023, 4,658 more than in 2013.
| Lexington | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 37% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $238,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Reported crimes rose from 110 to 167 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 19 reported in 2025, 0.5 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 83% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lexington.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lexington has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
48 within 15 miles of the center of Lexington
About 4 of every 100 Lexington residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Lexington’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
18 places in Lexington on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Lexington.
Town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States
Lexington is a suburban town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located 10 miles (16 km) from Downtown Boston. The population was 34,454 as of the 2020 census. The area was originally inhabited by Native Americans, and was first settled by Europeans c. 1642 as a farming community. Lexington is well-known as the site of the first shots of the American Revolutionary War, in the Battle of Lexington on April 19, 1775, where the "Shot heard 'round the world" took place. It is home to Minute Man National Historical Park.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Lexington.
At #10 in MA, it grades higher overall than all 7 graded towns on its borders; Winchester (A+) comes closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lexington | #10 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Burlington | #131 | B+ | D | C+ | B+ | A+ |
| Winchester | #13 | A+ | D | A | A | A+ |
| Woburn | #177 | B | D | B | C+ | A |
| Arlington | #29 | A+ | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Lincoln | #35 | A+ | D− | A+ | A | A+ |
| Bedford | #36 | A+ | D | A | A | A+ |
| Waltham | #187 | B− | D | B− | C | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Lexington grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #10 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A+ 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.
25 notable people were born here, including Drew Weissman and Rachel Dratch.
