Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Medford grades B overall, 182nd among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 93% of the country and the median household earns $130K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $817K for a typical one and 7.1 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 31 places on the National Register. Medford’s trail density is 5.2 miles per square mile, above both the Massachusetts town median (1.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Isaac Royall House and Peter Tufts House.
Where Medford beats most towns.
Isaac Royall House
Isaac Royall House is one of 2 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 1,029 in 1790, 59,659 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1645 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
31 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Medford is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 5%), so the B overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Medford. Close and well known come first.
Big draw5 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw6 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Big draw24 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
5 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
4 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard Stadium
4 mi MuseumBunker Hill MonumentFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bunker Hill Monument: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Medford, 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 Medford.
Medford has an unusually large share working from home, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Massachusetts (mostly inland flooding).
45 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. Middlesex Fells Reservation, at 1,157 acres with 33.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Middlesex Fells Reservation | 33.3 mi | 1,157 |
| 2. Wright's Pond | 2.5 mi | 122 |
| 3. Mystic River Reservation | 1.7 mi | 252 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Medford school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Milton Fuller RobertsLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 586 | C+ |
| Medford HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,195 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
26% of Medford adults have high blood pressure, against 32% in Massachusetts’ towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 24% of Medford adults have obesity. Medford beats the Massachusetts average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Medford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 32% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 36% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Medford | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.5% | 5.9% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 70.7% | 75.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
26.8% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Medford for work: only 8% work in town. 27% of workers work from home in Medford. Since 2013, Medford has added 3,280 jobs, to 21,473 in 2023.
| Medford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $130,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 7.6% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Medford’s median rent is $2,509 a month. The typical Medford home is worth about $817,000, about the same as a year ago, 25% above the Massachusetts typical home.
| Medford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,509 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 54% | 79% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 41% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Medford has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Medford is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 92% of Massachusetts towns, with expected losses of about $218 per resident a year; that rating is what its C+ for hazard risk is built on.
Since 1978, 32 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Medford.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Medford sits closer to the middle.
| Medford | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
54 within 15 miles of the center of Medford
About 11 of every 100 Medford residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
27.8% of the town is conserved land, across 26 parks and preserves.
31 places in Medford on the National Register of Historic Places.
47 notable people were born in Medford.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the 2020 United States census, Medford's population was 59,659. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus on both sides of the Medford and Somerville border.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Medford.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medford | #182 | B | D− | B− | C+ | A |
| Somerville | #204 | B− | D− | C+ | C | A |
| Malden | #236 | C | D | C+ | C | A− |
| Arlington | #29 | A+ | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Everett | #263 | D | D | C | D | C+ |
| Winchester | #13 | A+ | D | A | A | A+ |
| Stoneham | #84 | A− | D | B+ | B | A+ |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Medford grades B overall, better than 55% of U.S. towns and #182 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, B− for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Medford sits nearer the middle.
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−.
47 notable people were born here, including Lydia Maria Child and Maria Menounos.
