Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Pepperell's standout: it has 33 miles of trail. Overall it grades A−, 97th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. It is healthier than 90% of U.S. towns and it reports less crime per resident than 81% of U.S. towns. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 90% of U.S. towns, with 1 place on the National Register. 20% of the land in Pepperell is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Pepperell Center Historic District is on the National Register of Historic Places. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 72% of U.S. towns.
Where Pepperell beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,132 in 1790, a low of 1,132 in 1790, 11,604 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1889 and 7 maps from 1893 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Pepperell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Pepperell. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw34 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
21 mi LakeWalden Pond
29 mi MountainMount Monadnock
35 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
32 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway 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 · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Pepperell, 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 Pepperell.
Pepperell pairs an A− overall with homes cheaper than the Massachusetts norm, sends most of its workers to Boston and beyond and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 62% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 3.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide.
26% of adults have obesity in Pepperell, against 28% in Massachusetts’ towns and 35% across U.S. towns. 31% of Pepperell adults sleep under 7 hours. Pepperell beats the Massachusetts average on 12 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Pepperell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 28% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Pepperell | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.5% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the North Middlesex school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Varnum BrookLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 606 | B+ |
| Pepperell Christian Academy PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 11 | Grades 11 | 6 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
| Pepperell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Pepperell has 1,443 jobs for its 6,142 working residents: even if every job went to a resident, most would still commute out.
Most working residents leave Pepperell for work: only 7% work in town. The average trip to work in Pepperell is 34 minutes. Since 2013, Pepperell has added 98 jobs, to 1,443 in 2023.
| Pepperell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $124,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 18% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Nissitissit River Wildlife Management Area, at 420 acres with 5.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nissitissit River Wildlife Management Area | 5.6 mi | 420 |
| 2. Heald Street Orchard | 3.3 mi | 80 |
| 3. Bemis Road Conservation Area | 2 mi | 115 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 15 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Pepperell.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Pepperell has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 15° and about 53 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
No broad age group is more than 4 points off the Massachusetts average. 44% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Pepperell.
| Pepperell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 44% | 47% | 29% |
| Median age | 42.4 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
51% women, 49% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.9 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Pepperell | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.7% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 7.4% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12.6% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 12.2% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 17.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 4.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.1% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.5% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 20.8% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.8% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 23.1% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 20.7% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Pepperell grades A− overall with a typical home of about $596K, below the Massachusetts typical value; only 21 of the 109 Massachusetts towns graded A− or better can say that.
The typical Pepperell home is worth about $596,000, up 2.3% in a year, 9% below the Massachusetts typical home.
| Pepperell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 84% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,295 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
6 within 15 miles of the center of Pepperell
About 6 of every 100 Pepperell residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Pepperell’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 notable people were born in Pepperell.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Pepperell is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,604 at the 2020 census. It includes the village of East Pepperell and census-designated place of Pepperell. Pepperell is home to the Pepperell Center Historic District, a covered bridge, and the 1901 Lawrence Library. The library has a collection of Sidney M. Shattuck's (1876–1917) stuffed birds.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Pepperell.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pepperell | #97 | A− | C | A− | B | A |
| Groton | #7 | A+ | C+ | A | A | A+ |
| Dunstable | #27 | A+ | C+ | A | A | A+ |
| East Pepperell | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Townsend | #119 | B+ | C+ | A− | B | A− |
East Pepperell isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Pepperell with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Pepperell grades A− overall, better than 80% of U.S. towns and #97 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B for schools.
That is 5.1 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 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.
3 notable people were born here, including John Wesley Emerson and Henry Adams Bullard.
