Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Littleton earns an A+, 43rd among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. It is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 87% of U.S. towns, and the median household earns $150K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $774K, 6.7 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. Littleton’s trail density is 2.6 miles per square mile, against 1.8 in Massachusetts’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Only 28 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on hazard risk. Littleton's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 91% of U.S. towns.
Where Littleton beats most towns.
Houghton Memorial Building| Widest gap | Littleton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 11.9% |
Census counts: 854 in 1790, 10,141 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1721 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Littleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Littleton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
10 mi LakeWalden Pond
Big draw39 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw24 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 mi AttractionFreedom TrailFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Littleton, 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 Littleton.
Littleton has less tooth loss than most of Massachusetts and sees little violent crime, but it has property taxes 1.6 times the Massachusetts norm.
46 miles of trail in 46 parks and preserves. Oak Hill Conservation Land, at 221 acres with 6.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Oak Hill Conservation Land | 6.3 mi | 221 |
| 2. Long Lake Park | 4.8 mi | 173 |
| 3. Sarah Doublet Forest | 3.1 mi | 103 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Littleton school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Littleton High School, with 482 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shaker Lane ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 425 | – |
| Littleton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 482 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 5.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
24% of Littleton adults have obesity, below both Massachusetts’ towns (28%) and U.S. towns (35%). 10% of Littleton adults report frequent physical distress. Littleton beats the Massachusetts average on 20 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Littleton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Littleton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.3% | 11.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Violent crime is rare: 7 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Littleton is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Littleton | 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) | 3.9 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 89% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 12 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Littleton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Littleton has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 16° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The median property tax bill is $9,458, against $5,992 across Massachusetts, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
Littleton’s median rent is $2,016 a month. The typical Littleton home is worth about $774,000, up 1.8% in a year, 18% above the Massachusetts typical home. 84% of households own their home in Littleton.
| Littleton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,016 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 84% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Littleton for work: only 7% work in town. Jobs based in Littleton fell to 6,580 in 2023, 1,062 fewer than in 2013. The top destinations are Boston (14%), Cambridge (6%) and Acton (5%).
| Littleton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $150,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 33 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.6% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
4 within 15 miles of the center of Littleton
About 5 of every 100 Littleton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
8,924 counted in 2010 and 10,141 in 2020; an estimated 10,404 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
3 places in Littleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Littleton.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Littleton (historically Nashoba) is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,141 at the 2020 census. It contains the census-designated place of Littleton Common.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Littleton.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Littleton grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #43 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 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−.
8 notable people were born here, including Margaret Harwood and Harrison Reed.
