Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Sutton grades A overall, 73rd of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $147K and CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 89% of the country. It also does better than most on safety: crime is low: it reports less per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: homes are expensive, about $641K for a typical one and 6.7 times the Worcester metro’s $96K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Sutton’s trail density is 2.0 miles per square mile, near the Massachusetts town median (1.8) and above the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Sutton State Forest, at 1,401 acres with 16.9 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Sutton beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,642 in 1790, a low of 2,147 in 1930, 9,357 in 2020. The archive holds 7 old photos and papers going back to 1878 and 8 maps from 1889 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 Sutton is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Sutton. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw25 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw36 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
30 mi LakeWalden Pond
39 mi AttractionFreedom TrailLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Sutton, 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 Sutton.
Sutton has added half again as many jobs in ten years, is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 56% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide.
19% of Sutton adults binge drink, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 17% and U.S. towns at 16%. 31% of adults sleep under 7 hours in Sutton. Sutton beats the Massachusetts average on 11 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1.
| Sutton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 17% | 16% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 33% | 36% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 26% | 24% | 23% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | Sutton | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3% | 5.2% |
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 6.9% | 11.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 9.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Sutton school district.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton Early LearningLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 324 | – |
| Sutton High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 367 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Sutton State Forest | 16.9 mi | 1,401 |
| 2. Purgatory Chasm State Reservation | 3.6 mi | 177 |
| 3. Merrill Pond Wildlife Management Area | 0.2 mi | 619 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 85% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 2 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Sutton.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 8.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 67% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
Sutton’s property crime rate is 2.9 per 1,000 residents.
| Sutton | 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) | 1.5 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Sutton has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Sutton is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 2,082 in 2013 to 3,590.
Most working residents leave Sutton for work: only 9% work in town. 23% of Sutton workers work from home. Jobs based in Sutton grew to 3,590 in 2023, 1,508 more than in 2013.
| Sutton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $147,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 23% | 18% | 11% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Below the poverty line | 5.8% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Adults 18 to 34 are 19% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 43% of residents (39% statewide). Sutton has grown 3.1% since 2020, to 9,662 residents in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate. 53% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| Sutton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 53% | 47% | 29% |
| Median age | 44.3 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
54% women, 46% men
About 86 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2.5 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Sutton | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.9% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.7% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 6.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 12% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 13.2% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 14.1% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 15.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 13.6% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 5.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 3.6% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 19.3% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 16.7% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 7.6% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 26.7% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 26% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
The typical Sutton home is worth about $641,000, up 2.7% in a year, close to the Massachusetts typical home.
| Sutton | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,190 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
8 within 15 miles of the center of Sutton
About 4 of every 100 Sutton residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
5 places in Sutton on the National Register of Historic Places.
10 notable people were born in Sutton.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Sutton, officially the Town of Sutton, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 9,357 in the 2020 United States census. Located in the Blackstone Valley, the town was designated as a Preserve America community in 2004.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Sutton.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutton | #73 | A | C+ | A− | B | A |
| Northbridge | #188 | B− | C | A− | C | B+ |
| Millbury | #207 | B− | D | C+ | C+ | A− |
| Douglas | #116 | B+ | C | A− | C+ | A |
| Oxford | #208 | B− | C+ | B+ | C− | B |
| Grafton | #62 | A | C− | A | B+ | A |
| Uxbridge | #148 | B | C− | A− | C | A− |
| Whitinsville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Whitinsville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Sutton with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. Sutton grades A overall, better than 87% of U.S. towns and #73 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, A− for safety and B for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C+.
10 notable people were born here, including Thomas Blanchard and Rufus Putnam.
