Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sudbury is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 4th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. On CDC health estimates it is near the top nationally, its schools outperform 98% of the state's, and the median household earns $236K. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. 83% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Sudbury, above both Massachusetts’ towns (47%) and U.S. towns (29%). Only 26 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on hazard risk. Sudbury's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 97% of U.S. towns.
Where Sudbury beats most towns.
Wayside Inn Historic District| Widest gap | Sudbury | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 11.9% |
Census counts: 1,290 in 1790, a low of 1,120 in 1910, 18,934 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1720 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Sudbury is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sudbury. Close and well known come first.
Big draw17 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
6 mi LakeWalden Pond
Big draw32 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw17 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
15 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard StadiumFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sudbury, 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 Sudbury.
Sudbury is among the three healthiest towns in Massachusetts, has schools in the top 5% of Massachusetts and has more 90° days than almost anywhere else in Massachusetts.
At 9.7 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.13M) costs more against local pay than in 90% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The typical Sudbury home is worth about $1,127,000, up 0.8% in a year, 72% above the Massachusetts typical home. 90% of Sudbury households own their home.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its A+ ranks #3 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Sudbury school district. Three of its 8 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High, with 1,445 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ephraim Curtis MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 816 | A |
| Lincoln-Sudbury Regional HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,445 | A+ |
| Peter NoyesTop results in townGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 508 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
It ranks #2 of the 279 Massachusetts towns we grade on the CDC estimates behind the Health Grade. Its widest gap with Massachusetts is tooth loss: 4.3% of those 65+ have lost all their teeth, against 11.9% statewide.
8.8% of adults report frequent physical distress in Sudbury. Among 279 Massachusetts towns, just 6 have a lower share of adults who say their health is fair or poor than Sudbury. 12% of adults report frequent mental distress in Sudbury.
| Sudbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 12% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 6.4% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | Sudbury | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 4.3% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
57 miles of trail in 66 parks and preserves. The trail density in Sudbury is 2.3 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge, 934 acres with 1.3 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Nobscot Scout Reservation | 9.7 mi | 344 |
| 2. Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge | 4.7 mi | 479 |
| 3. Memorial Forest | 3.4 mi | 215 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Violent crime is rare: 12 reported in 2025, 0.6 per 1,000 residents.
Sudbury’s property crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Sudbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.9 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 17 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sudbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
33% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Only 6 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher median household income than Sudbury. Jobs based in Sudbury fell to 5,902 in 2023, 1,073 fewer than in 2013. Most working residents leave Sudbury for work: only 8% work in town.
| Sudbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 33% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $236,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 3% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The Bedford weather station, 10 miles away, records that about 13 days a year reach 90°, the highest of 539 Massachusetts places with climate records.
Sudbury has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
16 within 15 miles of the center of Sudbury
About 5 of every 100 Sudbury residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
28.7% of the town is conserved land, across 66 parks and preserves.
5 places in Sudbury on the National Register of Historic Places.
11 notable people were born in Sudbury.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Sudbury is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. At the 2020 census, it had a population of 18,934. The town, located in Greater Boston's MetroWest region, has a colonial history.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Sudbury.
At #4 in MA, it grades higher overall than all 7 graded towns on its borders; Wayland (A+) comes closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sudbury | #4 | A+ | C+ | A | A+ | A+ |
| Wayland | #6 | A+ | C | A | A+ | A+ |
| Maynard | #158 | B | C− | B | C+ | A+ |
| Framingham | #235 | C | D | C+ | D | A− |
| Stow | #30 | A+ | C− | A | A− | A+ |
| Concord | #26 | A+ | D− | A− | A+ | A+ |
| Hudson | #138 | B+ | C | B | C | A |
| Marlborough | #242 | C | D | C | C− | A− |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Sudbury grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #4 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A+ for schools.
That is 9.7 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 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+.
11 notable people were born here, including Scott Evans and Matt Savage.
