Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Somerville's standout: few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Overall it grades B−, 204th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. Residents are healthier than 94% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $133K. Its weakest subject is cost of living: homes are expensive, about $920K for a typical one and 7.9 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 88 places on the National Register. Somerville’s median rent is $2,517 a month, above both the Massachusetts town median ($1,682 a month) and the median of U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). Its National Register listings include Powder House Park and Chester Kingsley House. On the outdoors, just 3 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse.
Where Somerville beats most towns.
Powder House Park| Widest gap | Somerville | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.1% | 5.8% |
Its 88 National Register listings are more than in 96% of Massachusetts towns with a listing.
Census counts: 3,540 in 1850, 81,045 in 2020. The archive holds 5 old photos and papers going back to 1714 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Somerville is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 4%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Somerville. Close and well known come first.
Big draw3 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw4 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
3 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
2 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard Stadium
2 mi MuseumBunker Hill MonumentFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Bunker Hill Monument: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Somerville, 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 Somerville.
Somerville has less heart disease than most of Massachusetts and is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
Its public schools are run by the Somerville school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| E Somerville CommunityLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 747 | C− |
| Somerville HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,394 | B |
| Benjamin G BrownTop results in townGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 219 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is heart disease: 3.1% of its 71,792 adults have heart disease, against 5.8% statewide.
20% of Somerville adults have high blood pressure. Among 279 Massachusetts towns, just 1 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Somerville. 23% of Somerville adults have obesity.
| Somerville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 32% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.5% | 12% | 14% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 5.7% | 9.3% | 12% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 21% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Somerville | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 3.1% | 5.8% |
| Fewer adults with COPD | 3.3% | 5.9% |
| More binge drinkers | 20.5% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 7.9 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $920K) costs more against local pay than in 79% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. At about $920K, home values are up 7% in five years, against a rise of 26% across Massachusetts.
34% of households own their home in Somerville. The typical Somerville home is worth about $920,000, about the same as a year ago, 40% above the Massachusetts typical home. 36% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent in Somerville.
| Somerville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 34% | 79% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 36% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Jobs based here grew from 21,222 in 2013 to 31,368. 31.3% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Somerville for work: only 8% work in town. Jobs based in Somerville grew to 31,368 in 2023, 10,146 more than in 2013. The average trip to work in Somerville is 31 minutes.
| Somerville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 31% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $133,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 9.8% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Somerville has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. Somerville’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 24.5 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 86% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 64% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 26 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Somerville.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
1.9 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 10 have a lower share of conserved land than Somerville.
| Somerville | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Miles of trail per square mile | 0.5 miles per square mile | 1.8 | 0.4 |
| Conserved land | 5.3% | 19% | 4.3% |
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mystic River Reservation | 0.1 mi | 16 |
| 2. Foss Park | — | 13 |
| 3. Draw Seven State Park | — | 9 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
52 within 15 miles of the center of Somerville
About 13 of every 100 Somerville residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Somerville’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
88 places in Somerville on the National Register of Historic Places.
45 notable people were born in Somerville.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Somerville ( SUM-ər-vil) is a city located directly to the northwest of Boston, and north of Cambridge, in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As of the 2020 United States census, the city had a total population of 81,045 people. With an area of 4.12 square miles (10.7 km2), the city has a density of 19,671/sq mi (7,595/km2), making it the most densely populated municipality in New England and the 19th most densely populated incorporated municipality in the country. Somerville was established as a town in 1842, when it was separated from Charlestown. In 1972, 2009, and 2015, the city received the All-America City Award. It is home to Tufts University, which has its campus along …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Somerville.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Somerville grades B− overall, better than 48% of U.S. towns and #204 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, C+ for safety and C for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Somerville sits nearer the middle.
45 notable people were born here, including Nelson Goodman and Hal Clement.
