Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Petersham’s subject grades are an A+ for history and the outdoors and an A for civic life; the weakest is a D for walkability. Petersham’s average trip to work is 39 minutes, above both Massachusetts’ towns (30 minutes) and U.S. towns (25 minutes). On walkability, just 4 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Petersham's public schools trail 88% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. 62% of the land in Petersham is conserved, above both Massachusetts’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). Quabbin Reservoir Reservation, at 20,863 acres with 1.3 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 22 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on history. Petersham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Petersham beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,560 in 1790, 1,194 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1801 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Petersham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Petersham. Close and well known come first.
in town LakeQuabbin Reservoir
Big draw35 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
30 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
28 mi MountainMount Monadnock
36 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
25 mi Stadium & arenaDCU CenterQuabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Petersham, 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 Petersham.
74 miles of trail in 18 parks and preserves. Petersham’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. East Quabbin/Dana | 32.4 mi | 8,861 |
| 2. Brooks Woodland Preserve | 12.2 mi | 733 |
| 3. Harvard Forest | 11.6 mi | 3,148 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Petersham school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Petersham CenterLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–6 | Grades K–6 | 142 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Petersham for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, Petersham has added 58 jobs, to 124 in 2023. The median household income in Petersham is $111,000.
| Petersham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $111,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 16% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 8.8% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 7.2% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
People 65 and older are 31% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide). 13% of Petersham residents are under 18. Petersham has grown 4.1% since 2020, to 1,242 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Petersham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 56.3 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 31% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 43% | 47% | 29% |
46% women, 54% men
About 117 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±3.8 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Petersham | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 7.6% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 5.1% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 10.5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 7.8% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 23.3% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 20.8% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 2% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.2% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 24% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.2% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 19.1% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 23.5% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 1,200, single groups can be off by several points
The typical Petersham home is worth about $481,000, up 2.3% in a year, 27% below the Massachusetts typical home. 94% of households own their home in Petersham.
| Petersham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 94% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,679 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Petersham beats the Massachusetts average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 10. Only 7 of the 280 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have high blood pressure than Petersham.
| Petersham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 39% | 32% | 35% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 82% | 79% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Petersham | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.7% | 11.9% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.4% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Petersham has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 14° and about 60 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
1 within 15 miles of the center of Petersham
About 4 of every 100 Petersham residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
7 places in Petersham on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Petersham.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Petersham is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,194 at the 2020 census. Petersham is home to a considerable amount of conservation land, including the Quabbin Reservation, Harvard Forest, the Swift River Reservation, and Federated Women's Club State Forest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 5 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.
10 notable people were born here, including Austin Flint I and William Austin Burt.
