Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Middleton is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, 49th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. The median household earns $167K, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 88% of the country, and it reports less crime per resident than 85% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. Middleton’s trail density is 2.8 miles per square mile, above both Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) and U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Lieut. Thomas Fuller House and Deacon Edward Putnam Jr. House.
Where Middleton beats most towns.
Census counts: 682 in 1790, 9,779 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1684 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Middleton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Middleton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw19 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
21 mi LakeWalden Pond
18 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
16 mi MuseumBunker Hill MonumentFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bunker Hill Monument: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Middleton, 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 Middleton.
Middleton trades workers with Boston and other neighbors, but it has seen reported crime rise by about half and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
40 miles of trail in 36 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Middleton Pond, 539 acres with 10.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Middleton Pond | 10.4 mi | 539 |
| 2. Prichard Memorial Forest | 1.6 mi | 138 |
| 3. Town Conservation Land | 1.1 mi | 266 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Middleton school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Howe-ManningLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–6 | Grades 3–6 | 461 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 54% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 1,782 U.S. towns with household incomes like Middleton’s, it is less healthy than 67%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
15% of Middleton adults report frequent mental distress, below both the Massachusetts town median (16%) and the median of U.S. towns (17%). Middleton beats the Massachusetts average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 31% of adults feel lonely in Middleton.
| Middleton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 28% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 9.1% | 9.3% | 12% |
| What stands out | Middleton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.2% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.7% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes rose from 31 to 63 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 11 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 7.6 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $876K) costs more against local pay than in 76% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living.
The typical Middleton home is worth about $876,000, up 2.8% in a year, 34% above the Massachusetts typical home. 93% of Middleton households own their home.
| Middleton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 93% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,407 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 75% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 10 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Middleton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Middleton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. The July high in Middleton is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Middleton has about as many jobs (5,071) as working residents, but only 368 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave Middleton for work: only 9% work in town. Since 2013, Middleton has added 466 jobs, to 5,071 in 2023. Middleton’s average trip to work is 30 minutes.
| Middleton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $167,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Work from home | 13% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The median household earns $167,402, against $103,960 across Massachusetts, one input to its A for jobs and income.
Adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (39% statewide). 42% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Middleton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 47% | 29% |
| Median age | 43.1 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
42% women, 58% men
About 138 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Among residents 25 to 34, 72% are men (MA 50%). Median age: women 50.3, men 38.5.
| Middleton | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.6% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.5% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 8.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.8% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.1% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 8.2% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.9% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 9.1% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 29.6% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.1% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 8.5% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 24.2% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17.5% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
12 within 15 miles of the center of Middleton
About 4 of every 100 Middleton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
5 places in Middleton on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Middleton.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Middleton is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,779 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Middleton.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Middleton | #49 | A | C | A | A− | A |
| Danvers | #144 | B+ | D | B− | B− | A |
| Topsfield | #5 | A+ | C+ | A | A | A+ |
| Peabody | #221 | C+ | D | B− | C− | A− |
| Boxford | #3 | A+ | B− | A+ | A | A+ |
| North Reading | #51 | A | D− | A− | A | A+ |
| Lynnfield | #64 | A | D | B+ | A | A+ |
| North Andover | #79 | A | D− | A− | A− | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Middleton grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #49 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, A for safety and A− for schools.
That is 7.6 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.
5 notable people were born here, including John James Ingalls and Tim Johnson.
