Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Methuen grades C+ overall, 227th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 76% of U.S. towns. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $619K, 5.5 years of the county’s $113K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 92% of U.S. towns, with 43 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Abbot-Baker House and First Church Congregational. Only 2 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on the outdoors. Methuen's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) trails 96% of U.S. towns.
Where Methuen beats most towns.
First Church Congregational
Elias James Corey
Census counts: 1,297 in 1790, 53,059 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1720 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
43 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Methuen is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Methuen. Close and well known come first.
Big draw28 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw28 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
23 mi LakeWalden Pond
7 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
27 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
26 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Methuen, 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 Methuen.
Methuen has seen reported crime fall by a third or more, but it has a long record of flood insurance claims.
Most working residents leave Methuen for work: only 11% work in town. At $113,000, Methuen’s median household income is near the Massachusetts town median ($120,000) and above the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). The average trip to work in Methuen is 28 minutes.
| Methuen | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $113,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 12% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.9% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Methuen school district. Two of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tenney Grammar SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 1,246 | C− |
| Methuen HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,841 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Methuen has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 58 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
96 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 16 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 96 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Methuen.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes fell from 561 to 384 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 62 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Methuen sits closer to the middle.
| Methuen | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 5.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
15 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. At 0.7 miles per square mile, Methuen’s trail density is where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 1.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4. The biggest park or preserve is Conservation Land, at 499 acres.
| Methuen | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.7 miles per square mile | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 6.6% | 19% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nevins Bird Sanctuary | 0.7 mi | 31 |
| 2. Francis Morse Park | 0.4 mi | 18 |
| 3. Riverside Park | 0.4 mi | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Methuen’s median rent is $1,749 a month. The typical Methuen home is worth about $619,000, up 2% in a year, 6% below the Massachusetts typical home.
| Methuen | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,749 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
7 within 15 miles of the center of Methuen
About 7 of every 100 Methuen residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts.
Where Methuen’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
43 places in Methuen on the National Register of Historic Places.
25 notable people were born in Methuen.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Methuen () is a 23-square-mile (60 km2) city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 53,059 at the 2020 census. Methuen lies along the northwestern edge of Essex County, just east of Middlesex County and just south of Rockingham County, New Hampshire. The city is bordered by Haverhill to the northeast, North Andover to the southeast, Lawrence and Andover to the south, Dracut (Middlesex County) to the west, Pelham, New Hampshire (Hillsborough County) to the northwest, and Salem, New Hampshire (Rockingham County) to the north. Methuen is located 17 miles (27 km) southwest from Newburyport, 30 miles (48 km) north-northwest of Boston and 25 miles (40 km) south-southeas…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Methuen.
North Andover next door grades higher for schools (A− to Methuen’s C) and lower for cost of living (D− to C−).
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Methuen grades C+ overall, better than 38% of U.S. towns and #227 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Methuen 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 C−.
25 notable people were born here, including Elias James Corey and Pamela Gidley.
