Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Middleborough grades C+ overall, ranked 218th of 282 in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It has 98 miles of trail. On the other side, the typical home is worth about $569K, 4.9 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. 20% of the land in Middleborough is conserved, near the Massachusetts town median (19%) and above the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area, 3,523 acres with 22.8 miles of trail.
Where Middleborough beats most towns.
Census counts: 4,526 in 1790, 24,245 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1794 and 7 maps from 1885 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Middleborough is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Middleborough. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw36 mi MuseumThe Breakers
19 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
Big draw34 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
31 mi Ancient siteHMS EndeavourGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Middleborough, 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 Middleborough.
Middleborough is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Middleborough for work: only 13% work in town. At 31 minutes, Middleborough’s average trip to work is against 30 minutes in Massachusetts’ towns and 25 minutes across U.S. towns. Jobs based in Middleborough grew to 8,270 in 2023, 1,053 more than in 2013.
| Middleborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Its public schools are run by the Middleborough school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Middleborough High, with 774 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John T. Nichols MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 688 | C+ |
| Middleborough HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 774 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
The trail density in Middleborough is 1.4 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Rocky Gutter Wildlife Management Area | 22.8 mi | 3,523 |
| 2. Peirce Playground | 0.3 mi | 24 |
| 3. Weston Memorial Park | — | 304 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 79% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
Middleborough beats the Massachusetts average on 1 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 18% of Middleborough adults report frequent mental distress.
| Middleborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Middleborough | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults screened for colon cancer | 72% | 68.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.2% | 5.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 71% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 14 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Middleborough.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Middleborough has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 21° and about 31 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 22.9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 82% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
Middleborough’s violent crime rate is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Middleborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The typical Middleborough home is worth about $569,000, up 4% in a year, 13% below the Massachusetts typical home.
| Middleborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,706 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 79% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
2 within 15 miles of the center of Middleborough
About 4 of every 100 Middleborough residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Middleborough’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
8 places in Middleborough on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Middleborough.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Middleborough is a town in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 24,405 as of 2023. The census-designated place of Middleborough Center corresponds to the main village and commercial center of the town. It is the second largest municipality by land area in Massachusetts and nineteenth largest in New England. Middleborough proclaims itself to be the "Cranberry Capital of the World". Cranberry production remains a significant part of the local economy. In 2015, approximately 1,400 acres (570 ha) of the town were used to grow the crop, accounting for 3% of all land used to harvest cranberry bogs in the United States.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
10 towns share a border with Middleborough.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleborough | #218 | C+ | C− | C+ | C+ | B+ |
| Lakeville | #91 | A− | C− | A− | B+ | A− |
| Carver | #231 | C+ | C− | A− | C | B+ |
| Bridgewater Town | #101 | A− | D | A− | B− | A− |
| North Lakeville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Raynham | #205 | B− | D | B− | B− | B+ |
| Taunton | #262 | D | C− | C | C− | C+ |
| Rochester | #121 | B+ | C | A− | B | A− |
North Lakeville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Middleborough with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Middleborough grades C+ overall, better than 42% of U.S. towns and #218 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B+ for health, C+ for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Middleborough 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−.
14 notable people were born here, including Corey Carrier and Lavinia Warren.
_underway_c1944.jpg){kind=link}
