Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Few places in the country grade higher. Topsfield earns an A+, 5th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 98% of the country, the median household earns $196K, and it reports less crime per resident than 92% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, a C+, is in cost of living. Topsfield’s median household income is $196,000, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at $120,000 and U.S. towns at $80,000. Only 32 of Massachusetts’ 324 towns score higher on cost of living. Topsfield's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 96% of U.S. towns.
Where Topsfield beats most towns.
Parson Capen House is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 780 in 1790, a low of 780 in 1790, 6,569 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1907 and 8 maps from 1888 on.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Topsfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Topsfield. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw22 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
25 mi LakeWalden Pond
20 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
19 mi MuseumBunker Hill Monument
22 mi MuseumMuseum of Fine Arts Boston477K visitors a yearFenway 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 · Bunker Hill Monument: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Topsfield, 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 Topsfield.
Topsfield keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts and has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 2.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide. Against the 1,016 U.S. towns with household incomes like Topsfield’s, it is healthier than 71%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
27% of Topsfield adults feel lonely. Topsfield beats the Massachusetts average on 18 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 12% of Topsfield adults report frequent mental distress.
| Topsfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 16% | 17% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 33% | 33% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 82% | 79% |
| What stands out | Topsfield | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.3% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.7% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Topsfield school district. One of its 2 schools is below, with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Steward ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–3 | Grades PK–3 | 347 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its 2,831 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 87% of Massachusetts towns.
30 miles of trail in 26 parks and preserves. Topsfield’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile. The biggest place to walk is Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, 887 acres with 10.1 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary | 10.1 mi | 887 |
| 2. Bradley Palmer State Park | 5 mi | 231 |
| 3. Willowdale State Forest | 2.3 mi | 137 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Reported crimes fell from 44 to 14 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings. Violent crime is rare: 1 reported in 2025, 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
The violent crime rate in Topsfield is 0.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Topsfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 8.4 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $969K) costs more against local pay than in 84% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its C+ for cost of living.
The typical Topsfield home is worth about $969,000, up 2.6% in a year, 48% above the Massachusetts typical home. 90% of households own their home in Topsfield.
| Topsfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 90% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,115 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 82% of U.S. communities. Since 1979, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Topsfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
29.4% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Topsfield for work: only 6% work in town. Since 2013, Topsfield has lost 316 jobs, to 1,752 in 2023. The top destinations are Boston (18%), Beverly (6%) and Danvers (5%).
| Topsfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 5.6% | 9.9% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.5% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Topsfield has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 18° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
10 within 15 miles of the center of Topsfield
About 4 of every 100 Topsfield residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Topsfield’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
9 places in Topsfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in Topsfield.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Topsfield is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,569 at the 2020 census. Topsfield is located in the North Shore region of Massachusetts. Part of the town comprises the census-designated place of Topsfield.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Topsfield.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Topsfield grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #5 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A for schools.
That is 8.4 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+.
9 notable people were born here, including Joseph Smith, Sr. and Ryan Bourque.
