Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Paxton earns an A+, ranked 42nd of 282 in Massachusetts. Residents are healthier than 92% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates, crime is low: it reports less per resident than 91% of U.S. towns, and the median household earns $134K. Its lowest mark, a C, is in cost of living. 40% of the land in Paxton is conserved, above both Massachusetts’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 17 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on hazard risk. Paxton is home to Anna Maria College.
Where Paxton beats most towns.
Census counts: 558 in 1790, a low of 416 in 1910, 5,004 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 2007 and 8 maps from 1885 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Paxton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Paxton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw19 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw38 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
32 mi LakeWalden Pond
19 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
36 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
39 mi MountainMount MonadnockLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Paxton, 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 Paxton.
Paxton pairs an A+ overall with homes cheaper than the Massachusetts norm, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts and has less food insecurity than most of Massachusetts.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is food insecurity: 7.7% of its 4,072 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide. Against the 4,145 U.S. towns with household incomes like Paxton’s, it is healthier than 77%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
20% of Paxton adults binge drink, against 17% in Massachusetts’ towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 8.8% of Paxton adults smoke cigarettes. Paxton beats the Massachusetts average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Paxton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 11% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 8% | 9.3% | 12% |
| What stands out | Paxton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.7% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| More binge drinkers | 19.5% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Wachusett school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paxton CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–8 | Grades K–8 | 448 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 3 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in Paxton is 2.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Paxton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.8 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its 3,973 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 95% of Massachusetts towns.
20 miles of trail in 8 parks and preserves. Paxton’s trail density is 1.3 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Moore State Park, 746 acres with 6.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Moore State Park | 6.1 mi | 746 |
| 2. Boynton Park | 1.6 mi | 83 |
| 3. Paxton Recreational Commission Trail System | 1.1 mi | 77 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Paxton has 716 jobs for its 2,521 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
1.4% of residents live below the poverty line in Paxton. Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 4 have a lower share of working residents who work in town than Paxton. 26% of workers work from home in Paxton.
| Paxton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $134,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 1.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Paxton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 15° and about 73 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Paxton grades A+ overall with a typical home of about $551K, below the Massachusetts typical value; only 21 of the 109 Massachusetts towns graded A− or better can say that.
The typical Paxton home is worth about $551,000, up 2% in a year, 16% below the Massachusetts typical home.
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
55% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Paxton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 55% | 47% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 17% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 41.8 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±3.4 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Paxton | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.8% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 16% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.3% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 11% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 6.3% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 4.5% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 14.6% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 11.5% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 14.7% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 30% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 24.8% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
8 within 15 miles of the center of Paxton
College town 16 of every 100 Paxton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
40.4% of the town is conserved land, across 8 parks and preserves.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Paxton is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 5,004 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Paxton.
It grades higher overall than all 4 graded towns on its borders; Rutland (A) comes closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Paxton grades A+ overall, better than 96% of U.S. towns and #42 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, A for safety and B+ for schools.
That is 5.7 years of the area's median household income ($95,939 across the Worcester, 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.
