Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Lincoln is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 35th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. The median household earns $175K, it is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, and it reports less crime per resident than 97% of U.S. towns. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.5 million, 13 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 10 places on the National Register. 76% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Lincoln, above both the Massachusetts town median (47%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). On hazard risk, just 7 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do better. Its National Register listings include Gropius House and Minute Man National Historical Park.
Where Lincoln beats most towns.
Gropius House| Widest gap | Lincoln | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.2% | 12.4% |
Gropius House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 740 in 1790, 7,014 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1695 and 7 maps from 1886 on.
10 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Lincoln is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 1%), so the A+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Lincoln. Close and well known come first.
Big draw12 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
2 mi LakeWalden Pond
Big draw12 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Big draw38 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
10 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Lincoln, 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 Lincoln.
Lincoln has more trail for its size than nearly any town in Massachusetts and reports less crime than Lexington or any other graded neighbor, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
At 13 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.51M) costs more against local pay than in 96% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. 64.6% of renter households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, against 51.8% across Massachusetts.
The median rent in Lincoln is $3,168 a month. The typical Lincoln home is worth about $1,508,000, up 2.2% in a year, more than twice the Massachusetts typical home. 57% of households own their home in Lincoln.
| Lincoln | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $3,168 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 57% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.51M.
Its public schools are run by the Lincoln school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Minuteman Regional High, with 669 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lincoln SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 546 | A |
| Minuteman Regional HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 669 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
At 5.4 miles of trail per square mile, it ranks #2 of 283 Massachusetts towns. Its 3,349 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 87% of Massachusetts towns.
Lincoln’s trail density is 5.4 miles per square mile. Minute Man National Historical Park, at 406 acres with 4.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. 81 miles of trail in 66 parks and preserves.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mount Misery Conservation Area | 6.4 mi | 222 |
| 2. Flints Pond Conservation Area | 5.3 mi | 289 |
| 3. Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary | 5.3 mi | 166 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is food insecurity: 5.2% of its 4,472 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide.
Lincoln beats the Massachusetts average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 12% of Lincoln adults report frequent mental distress. Among 279 Massachusetts towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who sleep under 7 hours than Lincoln.
| Lincoln | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.2% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Lincoln | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.2% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.4% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A+ tops all 6 graded towns on its borders; Lexington (A) comes closest. Reported crimes fell from 25 to 10 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Among 277 Massachusetts towns, just 5 have a lower violent crime rate than Lincoln.
| Lincoln | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 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 92% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Lincoln.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Lincoln has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Lincoln has about as many jobs (2,441) as working residents, but only 135 people both live and work here. 34.2% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Lincoln for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Boston (25%), Cambridge (11%) and Waltham (5%). Half commute less than 12 miles.
| Lincoln | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $175,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 2.3% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.4% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
46 within 15 miles of the center of Lincoln
About 6 of every 100 Lincoln residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
35.1% of the town is conserved land, across 66 parks and preserves.
10 places in Lincoln on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Lincoln.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Lincoln is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,014 according to the 2020 United States census, including residents of Hanscom Air Force Base who live within town limits. The town, located in the MetroWest region of Boston's suburbs, has a large amount of colonial history and a sizeable amount of public conservation land.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Lincoln.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Lincoln grades A+ overall, better than 97% of U.S. towns and #35 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−.
9 notable people were born here, including Charles Hartwell and Diana Golden.
