Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Needham earns an A+, ranked 28th of 282 in Massachusetts. It is among the healthiest towns in the country on CDC estimates, its public schools beat 95% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation, and the median household earns $214K. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.5 million, 13.3 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. 82% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Needham, against 47% in Massachusetts’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Needham is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 96% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Echo Bridge and Needham Street Bridge.
Where Needham beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,130 in 1790, a low of 1,130 in 1790, 32,091 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1754 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
13 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Needham takes its name from Needham Market in Suffolk, England, 3,320 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionNeedham, settled in 1680, takes its name from Needham Market, a town in Suffolk, England.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Needham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Needham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw9 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw13 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw8 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Big draw35 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
12 mi LakeWalden Pond
9 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a yearFenway 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 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Needham, 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 Needham.
Needham has schools in the top 5% of Massachusetts, draws workers from Boston and beyond and is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s.
At 13.3 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.54M) costs more against local pay than in 98% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
The median rent in Needham is $2,409 a month. Typical home values rose 6.1% in the year to September 2026. 83% of households own their home in Needham.
| Needham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,409 a month | $1,682 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 A+ ranks #11 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.54M.
Its public schools are run by the Needham school district. Three of its 13 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pollard MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 867 | A |
| Needham HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,633 | A+ |
| BroadmeadowTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 502 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
45 miles of trail in 33 parks and preserves. Needham’s trail density is 3.6 miles per square mile. Cutler Park, at 472 acres with 8.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Needham Town Forest | 9.7 mi | 189 |
| 2. Cutler Park | 8.3 mi | 472 |
| 3. Ridge Hill Reservation | 6.6 mi | 421 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 4.2% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
13% of Needham adults get no exercise outside work. Needham beats the Massachusetts average on 24 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 6.5% of Needham adults smoke cigarettes.
| Needham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.5% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.5% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Needham | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.2% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.3% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
22,294 jobs are based in Needham, 1.5 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in. 32.4% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Needham for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Needham grew to 22,294 in 2023, 3,075 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Boston (34%), Cambridge (6%) and Newton (6%).
| Needham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 32% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $214,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 34 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Needham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 9.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 61% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 26 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Needham has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 56 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
51 within 15 miles of the center of Needham
About 5 of every 100 Needham residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
28,886 counted in 2010 and 32,091 in 2020; an estimated 32,897 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
13 places in Needham on the National Register of Historic Places.
33 notable people were born in Needham.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Needham ( NEED-əm) is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States. A suburb of Boston, its population was 32,091 in the 2020 U.S. Census. It is the home of Olin College of Engineering. It is also home to four commuter rail stations along the Needham Line.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Needham.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Needham grades A+ overall, better than 98% of U.S. towns and #28 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A− for safety and A+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D.
33 notable people were born here, including Aly Raisman and N. C. Wyeth.
