Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Medway is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 23rd among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. Residents are healthier than 97% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, the median household earns $174K, and it reports less crime per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Medway’s median household income is $174,000, above both Massachusetts’ towns ($120,000) and U.S. towns ($80,000). On the outdoors, just 30 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Its National Register listings include Rabbit Hill Historic District and Medway Village Historic District.
Where Medway beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,035 in 1790, a low of 1,035 in 1790, 13,115 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1859 and 8 maps from 1887 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 Medway is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Medway. Close and well known come first.
Big draw10 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw23 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw21 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
20 mi LakeWalden Pond
34 mi MuseumUSS MassachusettsGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Medway, 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 Medway.
Medway has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts, has household incomes well above the Massachusetts norm and sees little violent crime.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 2.9% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide. Against the 1,564 U.S. towns with household incomes like Medway’s, it is healthier than 74%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
24% of Medway adults have obesity. Medway beats the Massachusetts average on 17 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 15% of Medway adults get no exercise outside work.
| Medway | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 19% | 25% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Medway | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Medway school district. Three of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Medway High, with 622 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medway MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–8 | Grades 5–8 | 677 | B |
| Medway HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 622 | A+ |
| Burke/Memorial Elementary SchoolTop results in townGrades 2–4 | Grades 2–4 | 506 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 13 reported in 2025, 0.9 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Medway is 3.1 per 1,000 residents.
| Medway | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Most working residents leave Medway for work: only 9% work in town. Jobs based in Medway grew to 4,162 in 2023, 850 more than in 2013. 3.3% of residents live below the poverty line in Medway.
| Medway | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 21% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.3% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 6 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Medway.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Medway has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
10 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Medway’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Choate Park West, at 31 acres.
| Medway | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.9 miles per square mile | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 7.8% | 19% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Hoag Woods | 0.7 mi | 15 |
| 2. Idylbrook Conservation Land | 0.6 mi | 30 |
| 3. Choate Park | 0.6 mi | 22 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Medway home is worth about $714,000, up 1.5% in a year, 9% above the Massachusetts typical home.
| Medway | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,575 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Medway
About 4 of every 100 Medway residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Medway’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Medway on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Medway.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Medway is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The town had a population of 13,115 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Medway.
At #23 in MA, it grades higher overall than all 6 graded towns on its borders; Norfolk (A+) comes closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Medway | #23 | A+ | C | A | A− | A+ |
| Franklin Town | #34 | A+ | C− | A | A− | A |
| Bellingham | #183 | B− | C | B− | C | A |
| Norfolk | #32 | A+ | D | A | A− | A+ |
| Holliston | #38 | A+ | C− | A+ | A− | A+ |
| Millis | #56 | A | C− | A+ | B+ | A |
| Milford | #245 | C− | D | B− | D | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Medway grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #23 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A− for schools.
That is 6.2 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
9 notable people were born here, including James "Grizzly" Adams and Dennis Crowley.
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