Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
4.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Massachusetts town.
The best of Monterey’s subject grades are an A for health and an A+ for civic life and the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for cost of living. Monterey’s median age is 62.3 years, above both the Massachusetts town median (43.4 years) and the median of U.S. towns (40.5 years). Only 9 of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower share of children under 18 than Monterey. Monterey's schools rank behind 75% of the state's. 45% of the land in Monterey is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 2 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on civic life. Beartown State Forest, at 3,719 acres with 14.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Monterey has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Monterey beats most towns.
Rev. Adonijah Bidwell House
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1750.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Monterey is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Monterey. Close and well known come first.
33 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
9 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
12 mi TheatreTanglewood
31 mi MountainMount Greylock
33 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
31 mi MuseumOlana State Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · Olana State Historic Site: Netniks, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Monterey, 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 Monterey.
27 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. Monterey’s trail density is 1.0 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Beartown State Forest | 14.8 mi | 3,719 |
| 2. Bidwell House Museum, Gardens and Trails | 5.1 mi | 197 |
| 3. Bob's Way | 1.2 mi | 116 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Monterey beats the Massachusetts average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 4. 83% of Monterey adults had a checkup this year.
| Monterey | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Monterey | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.4% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.2% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.5% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Monterey for work: only 9% work in town. The average trip to work in Monterey is 23 minutes. The top destinations are Great Barrington (11%), Pittsfield (6%) and Boston (4%).
| Monterey | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 23 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 4.1% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Monterey has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 14° and about 75 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Monterey's reported crime rate is well below Massachusetts's. Most reported incidents are property crimes, mainly thefts. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2023.
| Monterey | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 6.1 | 13.1 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2023) | 0.9 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.8 |
FBI crime data, 2023 · crimes reported to police
The typical Monterey home is worth about $726,000, down 1.8% in a year, 11% above the Massachusetts typical home. 87% of households own their home in Monterey.
| Monterey | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,762 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 higher than in 53% of U.S. communities. Since 1984, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Monterey.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1 within 15 miles of the center of Monterey
About 4 of every 100 Monterey residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
3 places in Monterey on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Monterey is a small town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,095 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
4.5 times the nonprofits per person than the typical Massachusetts town.
Yes. That is 9.6 years of the area's median household income ($76,013 across the Pittsfield, MA 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−.
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