Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Monson is a solid, middle-of-the-road choice. It grades C− overall, 254th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns, with no subject far below average. Its best mark is incomes: the median household earns $97K. Expect to pay for it: homes are expensive, about $408K for a typical one and 5.7 times the Springfield metro’s $71K median household income. Only 30 of Massachusetts’ 321 towns score lower on health. Monson’s trail density is 0.5 miles per square mile, below Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) and close to U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Monson Developmental Center and William Norcross House.
Where Monson beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,331 in 1790, 8,150 in 2020. The archive holds 17 old photos and papers going back to 1812 and 7 maps from 1887 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 Monson is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monson. Close and well known come first.
Big draw25 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
13 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
16 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
18 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
29 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
28 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney StadiumLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monson, 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 Monson.
Monson is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s; it also trails even towns with similar incomes on health.
At $871 a month, Monson’s median rent is against $1,683 a month in Massachusetts’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns. The typical Monson home is worth about $408,000, up 3.4% in a year, 38% below the Massachusetts typical home. 83% of households own their home in Monson.
| Monson | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $871 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 83% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Monson school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Granite Valley SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–6 | Grades 1–6 | 400 | C+ |
| Monson High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 7–12 | Grades 7–12 | 280 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Monson for work: only 13% work in town. The average trip to work in Monson is 34 minutes. Jobs based in Monson grew to 1,350 in 2023, 133 more than in 2013.
| Monson | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $97,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 13% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.5% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
20 miles of trail in 11 parks and preserves. Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, at 1,427 acres with 1.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Peaked Mountain Tract | 4.4 mi | 310 |
| 2. Miller Forest Tract | 2.1 mi | 121 |
| 3. Flynt Park | 2 mi | 146 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Monson has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Monson’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Against the 9,069 U.S. towns with household incomes like Monson’s, it is less healthy than 74%, so it trails even them.
28% of Monson adults have been diagnosed with depression. Monson beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 13. 33% of Monson adults have obesity.
| Monson | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Monson | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 8.2% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 15.1% | 11.3% |
| More adults with arthritis | 32.7% | 25.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monson.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 19.4 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 72% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
7 within 15 miles of the center of Monson
About 6 of every 100 Monson residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Monson’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
5 places in Monson on the National Register of Historic Places.
8 notable people were born in Monson.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Monson is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 8,150 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The census-designated place of Monson Center lies at the center of the town.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Monson.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monson | #254 | C− | C | B− | C− | B− |
| Palmer Town | #261 | D | C− | C+ | C− | B− |
| Brimfield | #103 | A− | C | A | B | A− |
| Wales | — | — | C | A+ | B | B |
| Hampden | #171 | B | C− | B | B | A− |
Wales has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Monson with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Monson grades C− overall, better than 18% of U.S. towns and #254 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B− for health, B− for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Monson sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
8 notable people were born here, including Albert G. Riddle and Edward Lyman Morris.
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