Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Somerset grades B overall, ranked 151st of 282 in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $113K and residents are healthier than 77% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 64% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $510K for a typical one and 5.9 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. Somerset’s trail density is 0.1 miles per square mile, below both Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) and U.S. towns (0.4). On hazard risk, just 16 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do better. Its National Register listings include St. Patrick's Church and Borden Flats Light Station.
Where Somerset beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,151 in 1790, 18,303 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 2005 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 Somerset is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Somerset. Close and well known come first.
2 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw20 mi MuseumThe Breakers
14 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
2 mi MuseumBattleship Cove
2 mi MuseumUSS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Battleship Cove: Electroengie at English Wikipedia, Public domain · USS Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr.: "Official U.S. Navy Photograph, Released, U.S. Naval Photographic Center, U.S. N, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Somerset, 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 Somerset.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 91% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 36 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Somerset.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Somerset school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Somerset Berkley Regional High School, with 896 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Somerset Middle SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 610 | C+ |
| Somerset Berkley Regional High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 896 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 72% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 6,776 U.S. towns with household incomes like Somerset’s, it is healthier than 56%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
84% of Somerset adults had a checkup this year, against 82% in Massachusetts’ towns and 79% across U.S. towns. Somerset beats the Massachusetts average on 8 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 29% of adults have obesity in Somerset.
| Somerset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 82% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 28% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 33% | 33% | 36% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Somerset | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.8% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.4% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Most working residents leave Somerset for work: only 12% work in town. The average trip to work in Somerset is 31 minutes. Jobs based in Somerset grew to 4,648 in 2023, 287 more than in 2013.
| Somerset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $113,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 4.9% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 12% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
87% of Somerset households own their home. The typical Somerset home is worth about $510,000, up 3% in a year, 22% below the Massachusetts typical home. Somerset’s median rent is $1,271 a month.
| Somerset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 87% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,271 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Somerset has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 22° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 16% of residents (24% statewide); people 65 and older are 25% of residents (18% statewide). Somerset has grown 2.2% since 2020, to 18,681 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 38% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Somerset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 25% | 19% | 18% |
| Median age | 47 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 38% | 47% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 19% | 20% | 22% |
52% women, 48% men
About 91 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.1 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women. Median age: women 47.8, men 46.6.
| Somerset | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.8% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.1% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 13.8% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 13.8% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.9% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 12.4% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 7.7% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 27.4% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 14.6% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 12.8% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 22.1% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 15.5% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Somerset sits closer to the middle.
| Somerset | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 4.4 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1.2 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Only 8 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Somerset. The biggest park or preserve is Elm St Acres, at 52 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Elm St Acres | — | 52 |
| 2. Buffington Park | 0.2 mi | 34 |
| 3. Brayton Point Salt Marsh | — | 16 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
8 within 15 miles of the center of Somerset
About 5 of every 100 Somerset residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Somerset’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Somerset on the National Register of Historic Places.
5 notable people were born in Somerset.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Somerset is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 18,303 at the 2020 census. It is the birthplace and hometown of Clifford Milburn Holland (1883–1924), the chief engineer and namesake of the Holland Tunnel in New York City. Somerset is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the communities that surround Buzzards Bay (excluding the Elizabeth Islands, Bourne and Falmouth), Mount Hope Bay and the Sakonnet River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Somerset.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Somerset grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #151 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A− for health, B for safety and C+ for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Somerset sits nearer the middle.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
5 notable people were born here, including Clifford Milburn Holland and Edna Howland.
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