Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sturbridge's standout: it has 82 miles of trail and 28% conserved land. Overall it grades B+, ranked 146th of 282 in Massachusetts. It is healthier than 88% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $137K. Sturbridge’s average trip to work is 38 minutes, above both the Massachusetts town median (30 minutes) and the median of U.S. towns (25 minutes). Sturbridge has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places, among them Sturbridge Common Historic District and Oliver Wight House. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 74% of U.S. towns.
Where Sturbridge beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,704 in 1790, a low of 1,573 in 1920, 9,867 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1901 and 8 maps from 1887 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Sturbridge is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sturbridge. Close and well known come first.
Big draw13 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
25 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
in town MuseumOld Sturbridge Village
21 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
28 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
38 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank ArenaLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Old Sturbridge Village: Wgmleslie at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sturbridge, 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 Sturbridge.
Sturbridge trades workers with Worcester and other neighbors and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
82 miles of trail in 20 parks and preserves. Sturbridge’s trail density is 2.1 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Leadmine Mountain Wildlife Conservation Easement, 833 acres with 13.4 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Leadmine Mountain Wildlife Conservation Easement | 13.4 mi | 833 |
| 2. Wolf Swamp Wildlife Management Area | 7.2 mi | 247 |
| 3. Breakneck Brook Wildlife Management Area | 6.1 mi | 745 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Tantasqua school district. Two of its 5 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Tantasqua Regional Sr High, with 632 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Burgess ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 842 | B+ |
| Tantasqua Regional Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 632 | A+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 51% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 3,870 U.S. towns with household incomes like Sturbridge’s, it is healthier than 58%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
18% of Sturbridge adults binge drink. Sturbridge beats the Massachusetts average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 83% of Sturbridge adults had a checkup this year.
| Sturbridge | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 11% | 14% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | Sturbridge | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.4% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 8.2% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Adults 18 to 34 are 14% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 45% of residents (39% statewide). 49% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sturbridge. Sturbridge has grown 2.4% since 2020, to 10,120 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Sturbridge | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median age | 47.2 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 49% | 47% | 29% |
| Aged 65 or older | 20% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 21% | 20% | 22% |
50% women, 50% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±1.9 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Sturbridge | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 9.9% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 10.9% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.3% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 9.8% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 12.8% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 16.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 16.5% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 12.4% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 7.4% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 5.1% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 18% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.7% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 9.8% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 21.3% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Sturbridge home is worth about $517,000, up 3.9% in a year, 21% below the Massachusetts typical home. The median rent in Sturbridge is $1,193 a month.
| Sturbridge | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,193 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Sturbridge has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 17° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 66% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 7 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sturbridge.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Sturbridge has about as many jobs (4,966) as working residents, but only 702 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 37.8 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Sturbridge for work: only 15% work in town. Since 2013, Sturbridge has added 799 jobs, to 4,966 in 2023. The top destinations are Worcester (14%), Southbridge Town (6%) and Boston (5%).
| Sturbridge | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $137,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 20% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Sturbridge sits closer to the middle.
| Sturbridge | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 8.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
1 within 15 miles of the center of Sturbridge
About 5 of every 100 Sturbridge residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
3 places in Sturbridge on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Sturbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is home to Old Sturbridge Village living history museum and other sites of historical interest such as Tantiusques. The population was 9,867 at the 2020 census, with more than 3,600 households. For geographic and demographic information on specific parts of the town of Sturbridge, see: Fiskdale and Sturbridge (CDP).
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Sturbridge.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sturbridge | #146 | B+ | C | B− | B | A |
| Southbridge Town | #276 | D− | C | C+ | D− | C− |
| Brookfield | #216 | C+ | C+ | B+ | B | B− |
| Charlton | #125 | B+ | C+ | A− | C+ | A− |
| Holland | #178 | B | D | A | B | B |
| Brimfield | #103 | A− | C | A | B | A− |
| East Brookfield | — | — | C+ | B+ | C− | B+ |
East Brookfield has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Sturbridge with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Sturbridge grades B+ overall, better than 65% of U.S. towns and #146 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, B− for safety and B for schools.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Sturbridge sits nearer the middle.
That is 5.4 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.
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