Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Homes are expensive, about $503K for a typical one and 6.6 times the Pittsfield metro’s $76K median household income. Overall it grades C−, 248th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. Residents are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and it has 36 miles of trail and 35% conserved land. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 75% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. 35% of the land in Sheffield is conserved, above both the Massachusetts town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Sheffield's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 94% of U.S. towns. Its National Register listings include Col. John Ashley House and Old Covered Bridge.
Where Sheffield beats most towns.
Col. John Ashley House
Census counts: 1,899 in 1790, a low of 1,435 in 1920, 3,327 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1762 and 7 maps from 1885 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Sheffield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sheffield, 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 Sheffield.
Sheffield keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts, trades workers with Great Barrington and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Massachusetts.
Its 10,879 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 88% of Massachusetts towns.
36 miles of trail in 23 parks and preserves. Sheffield’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, below Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) but above U.S. towns (0.4). The biggest park or preserve is Three Mile Pond Wildlife Management Area, at 1,198 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Appalachian Trail Corridor | 8.2 mi | 929 |
| 2. Bartholomew's Cobble | 4.6 mi | 271 |
| 3. Mount Everett State Reservation | 3.7 mi | 363 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Southern Berkshire school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| UndermountainLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 260 | C |
| Mt Everett RegionalLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 278 | C |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 67% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
83% of Sheffield adults had a checkup this year. Sheffield beats the Massachusetts average on 7 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 5. 30% of Sheffield adults have obesity.
| Sheffield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 17% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Sheffield | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.9% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.9% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.7% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
The typical Sheffield home is worth about $503,000, down 0.6% in a year, 23% below the Massachusetts typical home. 82% of households own their home in Sheffield.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Sheffield has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 15° and about 50 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Sheffield has about as many jobs (1,419) as working residents, but only 424 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 20.6 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
About one in 4 of Sheffield’s working residents works in town. The average trip to work in Sheffield is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Great Barrington (14%), Pittsfield (6%) and North Canaan (5%).
| Sheffield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 27% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $92,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 6.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 35 to 64 are 46% of residents (39% statewide); children under 18 are 13% of residents (19% statewide). Sheffield’s median age is 48.2 years. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Sheffield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 18 | 13% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 48.2 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Aged 65 or older | 23% | 19% | 18% |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 47% | 29% |
49% women, 51% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±4.5 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Sheffield | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 6.6% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 6.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 11.1% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 6.9% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 17.1% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 9.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 19% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.7% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 8.5% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 32.7% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.3% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.4% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 16.1% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.4% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates · in a town of 3,300, single groups can be off by several points
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sheffield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sheffield. Close and well known come first.
40 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
36 mi National Historic SiteHome of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site102K visitors a year
13 mi MuseumNorman Rockwell Museum
17 mi TheatreTanglewood
38 mi MountainMount Greylock
38 mi Theme parkSix Flags New EnglandSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic Site: Crunch, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Norman Rockwell Museum: User:Rmrfstar, CC BY 2.5 · Tanglewood: Daderot., CC BY-SA 3.0 · Mount Greylock: Jstergis, CC BY 3.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sheffield
About 4 of every 100 Sheffield residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
6 places in Sheffield on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Sheffield.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Sheffield is a town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 3,327 at the 2020 census. Sheffield is home to Berkshire School, a private preparatory school. The former resort town includes the village of Ashley Falls, and is bordered by various other towns and villages, such as Egremont and Great Barrington. Its southern border is the Massachusetts-Connecticut state line.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with Sheffield.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sheffield | #248 | C− | D− | — | C | A− |
| Egremont | — | — | C | A− | C | A− |
| Mount Washington | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| New Marlborough | — | — | D | A− | C | A− |
Egremont and New Marlborough have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Sheffield reports no FBI crime data of its own. Mount Washington isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sheffield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Sheffield grades C− overall, better than 23% of U.S. towns and #248 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A− for health and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades D−.
10 notable people were born here, including George Frederick Root and Chester Dewey.
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