Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Spencer's standout: it has 48 miles of trail and 28% conserved land. Overall it grades B−, 212th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. It reports less crime per resident than 85% of U.S. towns and natural-hazard risk is low. Its weakest subject is schools: its schools rank behind 84% of the state's. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 97% of U.S. towns, with 6 places on the National Register. 28% of the land in Spencer is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Only 24 of Massachusetts’ 324 towns score higher on cost of living. Its National Register listings include Spencer Town Center Historic District and Pleasant Street School.
Where Spencer beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,322 in 1790, a low of 1,322 in 1790, 11,992 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1790 and 8 maps from 1889 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 Spencer is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Spencer. Close and well known come first.
Big draw16 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw39 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
32 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
18 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
36 mi LakeWalden Pond
35 mi Theme parkSix Flags New EnglandLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Spencer, 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 Spencer.
Spencer has seen reported crime fall by about half and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Massachusetts; it also trails Paxton and its other neighbors on schools.
Reported crimes fell from 67 to 35 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 9 reported in 2025, 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
Spencer’s property crime rate is 2.2 per 1,000 residents, against 4.9 in Massachusetts’ towns and 9.9 across U.S. towns. The violent crime rate in Spencer is 0.7 per 1,000 residents.
| Spencer | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.7 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Each of its 3 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C−, Paxton highest at B+.
Its public schools are run by the Spencer-E Brookfield school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is David Prouty High, with 306 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wire Village SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–4 | Grades K–4 | 430 | D |
| David Prouty HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 306 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
48 miles of trail in 22 parks and preserves. Spencer’s trail density is 1.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Sibley Farm, 322 acres with 6.2 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sibley Farm | 6.2 mi | 322 |
| 2. Buck Hill Conservation Area | 3.8 mi | 290 |
| 3. Burncoat Pond Wildlife Sanctuary | 3.3 mi | 235 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Spencer home is worth about $437,000, up 1.4% in a year, 33% below the Massachusetts typical home. 63% of Spencer households own their home.
| Spencer | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 63% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,078 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Spencer for work: only 10% work in town. Jobs based in Spencer fell to 2,721 in 2023, 274 fewer than in 2013. 11% of residents live below the poverty line in Spencer.
| Spencer | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 34 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $81,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Spencer has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 16° and about 73 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 86% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. All 3 graded neighbors score healthier than its B, from Oakham (A−) to Paxton (A).
Spencer beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9.
| Spencer | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| What stands out | Spencer | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 14% | 11.3% |
| More adults with obesity | 33.5% | 27.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
9 within 15 miles of the center of Spencer
About 5 of every 100 Spencer residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Spencer’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
6 places in Spencer on the National Register of Historic Places.
13 notable people were born in Spencer.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Spencer is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 11,992 at the 2020 census. For geographic and demographic information on the census-designated place Spencer, please see the article Spencer (CDP), Massachusetts.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Spencer.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spencer | #212 | B− | C+ | A | C− | B |
| Paxton | #42 | A+ | C | A | B+ | A |
| Oakham | — | — | B− | A− | C | A− |
| Charlton | #125 | B+ | C+ | A− | C+ | A− |
Oakham has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Spencer with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Spencer grades B− overall, better than 46% of U.S. towns and #212 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B for health, A for safety and C− for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 4.5 years of the area's median household income ($95,939 across the Worcester, MA metro area). Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
13 notable people were born here, including Elias Howe and Nathan Cobb.
