Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Swansea grades B overall, ranked 152nd of 282 in Massachusetts. Natural-hazard risk is low. The median household earns $116K and residents are healthier than 79% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. The catch is cost: the typical home is worth about $520K, 6 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 31 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include Luther Store and Martin House and Farm. Swansea’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, below the Massachusetts town median (1.8) but above the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Only 22 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on the outdoors.
Where Swansea beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,784 in 1790, 17,144 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1701 and 4 maps from 1949 on.
31 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Swansea takes its name from Swansea in West Glamorgan, Wales, 3,140 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionSwansea, settled in 1662, takes its name from Swansea, a city in West Glamorgan, Wales.
Named after: each U.S. town’s Wikipedia article. Grades compare each town with towns in its own country, so they aren’t a head-to-head.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Swansea is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Swansea. Close and well known come first.
Big draw23 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
4 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
Big draw20 mi MuseumThe Breakers
13 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
Big draw38 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
5 mi MuseumBattleship CoveGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · The Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Battleship Cove: Electroengie at English Wikipedia, Public domain
Who provides power, water and the rest in Swansea, 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 Swansea.
Swansea sends many workers across the state line to Providence and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Massachusetts; it also has seen reported crime rise by about half.
100 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 10 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 90% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 100 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Swansea.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Its public schools are run by the Swansea school district. Two of its 9 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Joseph Case High, with 514 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Joseph Case Jr HighLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 490 | B− |
| Joseph Case HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 514 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 70% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar. Against the 6,250 U.S. towns with household incomes like Swansea’s, it is healthier than 57%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
83% of adults had a checkup this year in Swansea, against 82% in Massachusetts’ towns and 79% across U.S. towns. Swansea beats the Massachusetts average on 6 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of adults have obesity in Swansea.
| Swansea | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 83% | 82% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 28% | 35% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 19% | 25% |
| What stands out | Swansea | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 9.1% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.9% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.5% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
23% of working residents cross a state line to work, Providence among the top destinations.
Most working residents leave Swansea for work: only 9% work in town. 7.4% of Swansea workers work from home. Since 2013, Swansea has added 482 jobs, to 4,816 in 2023.
| Swansea | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 7.4% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 2.8% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 26 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Swansea has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 22° and about 37 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
The typical Swansea home is worth about $520,000, up 3.7% in a year, 21% below the Massachusetts typical home. Swansea’s median rent is $1,226 a month.
| Swansea | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 85% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,226 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Reported crimes rose from 136 to 204 over the last three FBI years, a rise beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Swansea sits closer to the middle.
| Swansea | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 9.8 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.8 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
21 miles of trail in 7 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Paquette Farm, at 116 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Village Park | 4.7 mi | 90 |
| 2. Paquette Farm | — | 116 |
| 3. Birch Stevens Farm | — | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
12 within 15 miles of the center of Swansea
About 4 of every 100 Swansea residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Swansea’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
31 places in Swansea on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Swansea.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Swansea is a town in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts, United States. It is located at the mouth of the Taunton River, just west of Fall River, 47 miles (76 km) south of Boston, and 12 miles (19 km) southeast of Providence, Rhode Island. The population was 17,144 at the 2020 census. The villages of Hortonville, Barneyville and Ocean Grove are located in the town. Swansea is a part of the South Coast region of Massachusetts which encompasses the cities and towns that surround Buzzards Bay (excluding the Elizabeth Islands, Bourne and Falmouth), Mount Hope Bay and the Sakonnet River.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Swansea.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Swansea grades B overall, better than 64% of U.S. towns and #152 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A− for health, B for safety and C+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a C−.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Swansea sits nearer the middle.
Yes. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C−.
6 notable people were born here, including Oliver Chace and Joshua K. Ingalls.
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