Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. North Andover grades A overall, ranked 79th of 282 in Massachusetts. It has 97 miles of trail. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $141K. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $801K, 6.9 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. North Andover’s trail density is 3.5 miles per square mile, above both Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) and U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Samuel Osgood House and Kittredge Mansion. North Andover is more walkable than 84% of U.S. towns.
Where North Andover beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,343 in 1860, 30,915 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1714 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far North Andover is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around North Andover. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw23 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
21 mi LakeWalden Pond
22 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
21 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard Stadium
23 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a yearFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in North Andover, 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 North Andover.
North Andover trades workers with Boston and other neighbors and is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s.
Harold Parker State Forest, at 2,055 acres with 38.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Harold Parker State Forest | 38.2 mi | 2,055 |
| 2. Ward Reservation | 8.3 mi | 366 |
| 3. Weir Hill Reservation | 5 mi | 193 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the North Andover school district. Three of its 11 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Andover MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 1,023 | B− |
| North Andover HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,328 | A |
| KittredgeTop results in townGrades 1–5 | Grades 1–5 | 211 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
9% of North Andover adults smoke cigarettes, below both the Massachusetts town median (11%) and the median of U.S. towns (14%). 29% of adults have high blood pressure in North Andover. North Andover beats the Massachusetts average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0.
| North Andover | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 9% | 11% | 14% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 32% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | North Andover | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.5% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.2% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 9.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 61% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 32 reported in 2025, 1 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
North Andover’s median rent is $2,223 a month. The typical North Andover home is worth about $801,000, up 1.2% in a year, 22% above the Massachusetts typical home.
| North Andover | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,223 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 70% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 69% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 46 flood insurance claims have been paid out in North Andover.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
North Andover has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 17° and about 67 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
North Andover has about as many jobs (12,982) as working residents, but only 1,564 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave North Andover for work: only 11% work in town. The average trip to work in North Andover is 32 minutes. The top destinations are Boston (11%), Andover (8%) and Lawrence (5%).
| North Andover | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $141,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 20% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
10 within 15 miles of the center of North Andover
About 11 of every 100 North Andover residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
14 places in North Andover on the National Register of Historic Places.
20 notable people were born in North Andover.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
North Andover is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, the population was 30,915.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with North Andover.
Methuen next door grades lower for schools (C to North Andover’s A−) and higher for cost of living (C− to D−).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| North Andover | #79 | A | D− | A− | A− | A |
| Lawrence | #275 | D− | C | C | D | C− |
| Boxford | #3 | A+ | B− | A+ | A | A+ |
| Methuen | #227 | C+ | C− | B | C | — |
| Andover | #45 | A+ | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Middleton | #49 | A | C | A | A− | A |
| North Reading | #51 | A | D− | A− | A | A+ |
| Haverhill | #249 | C− | C− | C+ | D | B |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. North Andover grades A overall, better than 86% of U.S. towns and #79 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−.
20 notable people were born here, including Robert M. Gagné and Isaac Stevens.
