Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Phillipston’s best subject grades are an A for the outdoors and history; its weakest is a C for schools. On cost of living, just 3 of Massachusetts’ 324 towns do better. 41% of the land in Phillipston is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 12 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on civic life. The biggest place to walk is Phillipston Wildlife Management Area, 1,949 acres with 2.1 miles of trail. Phillipston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Phillipston beats most towns.
Census counts: 740 in 1790, a low of 354 in 1920, 1,724 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1830 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
2 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Phillipston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Phillipston, 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 Phillipston.
16 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Phillipston’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile, against 1.8 in Massachusetts’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Phillipston Wildlife Management Area | 2.1 mi | 1,949 |
| 2. Millers River Wildlife Management Area | 2 mi | 618 |
| 3. Harvard Forest | 1.2 mi | 303 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Phillipston home is worth about $435,000, up 4.8% in a year, 34% below the Massachusetts typical home. 92% of households own their home in Phillipston.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Phillipston for work: only 4% work in town. Jobs based in Phillipston fell to 176 in 2023, 198 fewer than in 2013. 9.2% of Phillipston workers work from home.
| Phillipston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 9.2% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $95,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Among 280 Massachusetts towns, just 6 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Phillipston. Phillipston beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 20. Among 280 Massachusetts towns, just 9 have a higher share of adults who smoke cigarettes than Phillipston.
| Phillipston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 12% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 17% | 11% | 14% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Phillipston | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 9% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 16.7% | 11.3% |
| More older adults who have lost all their teeth | 16.2% | 11.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Phillipston has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Phillipston’s July high is 80°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The violent crime rate in Phillipston is 0 per 1,000 residents. Phillipston's reported crime rate is well below Massachusetts's. The property crime rate in Phillipston is 1.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Phillipston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.7 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Phillipston. Close and well known come first.
Big draw39 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
16 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
21 mi MountainMount Monadnock
38 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
27 mi Stadium & arenaDCU Center
31 mi MuseumOld Sturbridge VillageLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Old Sturbridge Village: Wgmleslie at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
1 within 15 miles of the center of Phillipston
About 4 of every 100 Phillipston residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
41% of the town is conserved land, across 12 parks and preserves.
2 places in Phillipston on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Phillipston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,724 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Phillipston.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phillipston | — | — | B− | — | C | C |
| Templeton | #210 | B− | C+ | A− | C | B |
| Athol | #257 | D | B− | C+ | C− | C |
| Royalston | — | — | B− | A+ | C− | C+ |
| Petersham | — | — | C | — | D | B+ |
Phillipston, Royalston and Petersham have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Phillipston and Petersham report no FBI crime data of their own. Compare Phillipston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B−.
2 notable people were born here, including Charlotte Barnum and Thomas H. White.
