Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Shrewsbury is one of the best-graded places in America: an A, ranked 48th of 282 in Massachusetts. The median household earns $139K, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 95% of the country, and its schools rank ahead of 85% of Massachusetts towns. The exception is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $686K, 7.1 years of the Worcester metro’s $96K median household income. 66% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Shrewsbury, against 47% in Massachusetts’ towns and 29% across U.S. towns. Shrewsbury has 4 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Gen. Artemas Ward Homestead and Ash Street School. Shrewsbury is more walkable than 73% of U.S. towns.
Where Shrewsbury beats most towns.
Census counts: 963 in 1790, 38,325 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1930 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
4 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Shrewsbury takes its name from Shrewsbury in Shropshire, England, 3,170 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionShrewsbury, settled in 1722, takes its name from Shrewsbury, a large town in Shropshire, England.
2 more U.S. towns are named after Shrewsbury:Shrewsbury, NJ4,178Shrewsbury Township, NJ1,078
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Shrewsbury is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for jobs and income (better than 97% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 6%), so the A overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Shrewsbury. Close and well known come first.
Big draw18 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw32 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
22 mi LakeWalden Pond
34 mi AttractionFreedom TrailLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · 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 Shrewsbury, 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 Shrewsbury.
Shrewsbury has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts and pairs an A for schools with high home prices, but it has seen reported crime rise beyond ordinary swings.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 3.2% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide.
8.4% of adults smoke cigarettes in Shrewsbury. Shrewsbury beats the Massachusetts average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 14% of adults report frequent mental distress in Shrewsbury.
| Shrewsbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Shrewsbury | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.2% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 7.7% | 11.9% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a D for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $686K.
Its public schools are run by the Shrewsbury school district. Three of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sherwood Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 951 | A− |
| Shrewsbury High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,891 | A+ |
| Spring Street SchoolTop results in townGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 304 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 86% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 9 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Shrewsbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Reported crimes rose from 258 to 275 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 33 reported in 2025, 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
Shrewsbury’s violent crime rate is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Shrewsbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.1 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
35 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. The trail density in Shrewsbury is 1.6 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Dean Park, 79 acres with 2.1 miles of trail.
| Shrewsbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 1.6 miles per square mile | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 8% | 19% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prospect Park | 2.3 mi | 74 |
| 2. Dean Park | 2.1 mi | 79 |
| 3. Carlstrom Memorial Forest | 1 mi | 73 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Shrewsbury for work: only 7% work in town. 26% of Shrewsbury workers work from home. The top destinations are Worcester (19%), Boston (9%) and Marlborough (5%).
| Shrewsbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 26% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $139,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Shrewsbury has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Shrewsbury home is worth about $686,000, up 0.5% in a year, close to the Massachusetts typical home.
| Shrewsbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,116 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 72% | 79% | 73% |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
9 within 15 miles of the center of Shrewsbury
About 5 of every 100 Shrewsbury residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Shrewsbury’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
4 places in Shrewsbury on the National Register of Historic Places.
15 notable people were born in Shrewsbury.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Shrewsbury ( SHROOZ-bury) is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 38,325 according to the 2020 United States census, in nearly 15,000 households. Incorporated in 1727, Shrewsbury prospered in the 19th century due to its proximity to Worcester, and from visitors to Lake Quinsigamond. The town is governed under the New England representative town meeting system, headed by the Town Manager and five-member elected Select Board.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Shrewsbury.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shrewsbury | #48 | A | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Boylston | #95 | A− | D | A− | A− | A |
| Northborough | #47 | A | D | A+ | A− | A+ |
| Grafton | #62 | A | C− | A | B+ | A |
| Westborough | #83 | A− | D− | B | A | A+ |
| Worcester | #259 | D | C− | — | C− | C+ |
| West Boylston | #69 | A | C | A− | B+ | A− |
Worcester reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare Shrewsbury with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Shrewsbury grades A overall, better than 94% of U.S. towns and #48 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.
15 notable people were born here, including Mike Birbiglia and Artemas Ward.
