Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Because it does well by almost any measure. Sherborn earns an A+, 17th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, its schools rank ahead of 95% of Massachusetts towns, and the median household earns $250K. The exception is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $1.2 million for a typical one and 10.4 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 23 places on the National Register. 82% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sherborn, above both Massachusetts’ towns (47%) and U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Addington Gardner House and Assington. Sherborn's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Sherborn beats most towns.
Asa Sanger House| Widest gap | Sherborn | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 11.9% |
Census counts: 801 in 1790, a low of 801 in 1790, 4,401 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1674 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
23 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Sherborn is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sherborn. Close and well known come first.
Big draw11 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw16 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw27 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw16 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
14 mi LakeWalden Pond
18 mi AttractionFreedom TrailGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sherborn, 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 Sherborn.
Sherborn is the healthiest town in Massachusetts and has schools in the top 5% of Massachusetts, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
At 10.4 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.21M) costs more against local pay than in 93% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Sherborn’s median rent is $2,338 a month. The typical Sherborn home is worth about $1,210,000, up 1.6% in a year, 85% above the Massachusetts typical home. 89% of households own their home in Sherborn.
| Sherborn | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,338 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 89% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #11 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we grade for schools. Its A+ for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $1.21M.
Its public schools are run by the Sherborn school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine HillLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 397 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
55 miles of trail in 13 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sherborn is 3.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Town Forest, 372 acres with 12.6 miles of trail.
| Sherborn | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 3.4 miles per square mile | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 23% | 19% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Town Forest | 12.6 mi | 372 |
| 2. Rocky Narrows | 4.6 mi | 263 |
| 3. Barber Reservation | 3.4 mi | 131 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
It is the healthiest of the 279 Massachusetts towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 3.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
8.6% of Sherborn adults report frequent physical distress. No town among the 279 in Massachusetts we compare has a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Sherborn. 12% of Sherborn adults report frequent mental distress.
| Sherborn | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.6% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 28% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Sherborn | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 3.3% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 4.4% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.2% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Reported crimes fell from 28 to 6 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sherborn.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
49.1% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Only 4 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher median household income than Sherborn. Jobs based in Sherborn grew to 618 in 2023, 122 more than in 2013. Most working residents leave Sherborn for work: only 6% work in town.
| Sherborn | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $250,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3.1% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.9% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Sherborn has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
19 within 15 miles of the center of Sherborn
About 3 of every 100 Sherborn residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
23% of the town is conserved land, across 13 parks and preserves.
23 places in Sherborn on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Sherborn.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Sherborn is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. Located in Boston's MetroWest region, the community is within area code 508 and has the ZIP Code 01770. As of the 2020 U.S. census, the town population was 4,401. Sherborn shares its highly ranked public school system with the town of Dover. In addition to Dover, Sherborn is bordered by the towns of Natick, Framingham, Ashland, Millis, Holliston, and Medfield.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Sherborn.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Sherborn grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #17 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A+ 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.
4 notable people were born here, including Alice D. Weeks and Henry Ware.
