Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Russell’s subject grades are an A for history and the outdoors; the weakest is a C− for cost of living. 10% of residents are under 18 in Russell, below both Massachusetts’ towns (20%) and U.S. towns (22%). On hazard risk, just 27 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Russell's schools rank behind 77% of the state's. 44% of the land in Russell is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. On civic life, just 4 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Tekoa Mountain Wildlife Management Area, at 798 acres with 6.8 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Russell has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Russell beats most towns.
43.7% of the town is conserved land, across 5 parks and preserves.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Russell is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 521 in 1850, 1,643 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1898 and 8 maps from 1887 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Russell. Close and well known come first.
14 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
15 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
29 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
31 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
37 mi MountainMount Greylock
36 mi Theme parkLake CompounceSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Russell, 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 Russell.
19 miles of trail in 5 parks and preserves. Russell’s trail density is 1.1 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Tekoa Mountain Wildlife Management Area | 6.8 mi | 798 |
| 2. Tekoa Park | 1 mi | 40 |
| 3. Blandford / Russell Wce (Loveland Lot) | — | 188 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Russell home is worth about $347,000, up 1.9% in a year, 47% below the Massachusetts typical home. The median rent in Russell is $1,013 a month.
| Russell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,013 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 85% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Russell for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Russell has added 64 jobs, to 167 in 2023. 9.2% of Russell workers work from home.
| Russell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 9.2% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 2.8% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $109,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Russell beats the Massachusetts average on 3 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Russell.
| Russell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Russell | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.9% | 12.4% |
| More adults with depression | 28.3% | 23.8% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Russell has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 15° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is higher than in 63% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Russell.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Russell's reported crime rate is well below Massachusetts's. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025.
| Russell | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.2 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
5 within 15 miles of the center of Russell
About 4 of every 100 Russell residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Russell’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Russell is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,643 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Russell.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Russell | — | — | C− | — | C− | B+ |
| Westfield | #229 | C+ | C− | B | C | B |
| Montgomery | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Blandford | — | — | C+ | — | C− | B+ |
| Granville | — | — | D | A | C+ | B+ |
| Huntington | — | — | C | — | C− | B+ |
Russell, Blandford, Granville and Huntington have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Russell, Blandford and Huntington report no FBI crime data of their own. Montgomery isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Russell with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes. That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($71,306 across the Springfield, 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−.
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