Highland House · National Register of Historic Places
Truro’s story
326 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1713.
9 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
- 1700Truro is settled
Truro Highlands Historic District · Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0
Population
2,483
2025 Census estimate · +2.1% since 2020
Typical home
$1.04M
+0.3% in a year
Household income
$119K
median
Median age
64.1
years
Jobs based here
492
Balanced
Is Truro a good place to live?
The best of Truro’s subject grades are an A for health, an A+ for the outdoors, and an A− for history. 11% of residents are under 18 in Truro, below both Massachusetts’ towns (20%) and U.S. towns (22%). Only 1 of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher median age than Truro. 62% of the land in Truro is conserved, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 19% and U.S. towns at 4.3%. Cape Cod National Seashore, at 10,629 acres with 71.1 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Only 1 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score higher on the outdoors. Truro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
What makes Truro stand out
Where Truro beats most towns.
Highland HouseHistoryA−
Settled in 1700
9 places on the National Register
A history going back 326 years.
32 measures vs. Massachusetts
13 better13 too close to call6 worse
| Widest gap | Truro | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.5% | 11.1% |
HealthA
Healthier than 86% of U.S. towns
Less healthyHealthier
CDC PLACES 2025 estimates.
The other Truro
Truro takes its name from Truro in Cornwall, England, 3,060 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionCornwall, EnglandTruroA large town of 23,060
Photo: Tim Green · CC BY 2.0Truro, settled in 1700, takes its name from Truro, a large town in Cornwall, England.
Truro, MA3,060 miles · Truro, Cornwall
People23,0602,483 here
Typical home£295,000$1,045,000 here
Listed buildings3161 of them Grade I
TownGradeDagainst UK towns#15 of 35 in Cornwall
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.
How Truro grades
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Truro is from typical.
HealthCape Cod Hospital 27 miles awayAOpen →Hazard riskFEMA risk higher than 30% of U.S. communities; inland flooding tops the listB+Open →Cost of livingCOpen →Jobs & income$119K median household incomeBOpen →SafetyBOpen →SchoolsB−Open →WalkabilityEPA walkability 11.3 of 20; 4.5% of households have no car; 0.1% of workers walk, bike or ride transitB−Open →
Character Graded, but not part of the overall grade.
OutdoorsA+Open →History2 notable people born hereA−Open →Civic life16.4 community nonprofits per 1,000 residentsA−Open →
Described, not graded Taste, not quality: snow or an older crowd is neither good nor bad.
Climate–Open →Housing market5 days on market–Open →Who lives hereMedian age 64.1; 58% of adults have a four-year degree–Open →
How TownRatings grades towns →
Nearby attractions
All 140 attractions →Cape Cod National Seashore and 27 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Truro. Close and well known come first.
in town National SeashoreCape Cod National Seashore3.7M visitors a year
30 mi Ancient siteSS Pendleton
7 mi LandmarkPilgrim Monument
29 mi MuseumPlimoth Patuxet
32 mi LandmarkNational Monument to the Forefathers
38 mi Theme parkEdaville RailroadSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
Cape Cod National Seashore: SeduisantRedux, CC BY 3.0 · SS Pendleton: United States Coast Guard, Richard C. Kelsey, Public domain · Pilgrim Monument: Peter Whitlock (Transferred by adavyd/Originally uploaded by Willster3), CC BY-SA 3.0 · Plimoth Patuxet: Tr!sie, CC BY-SA 3.0 · National Monument to the Forefathers: T.S. Custadio aka ToddC4176 at en.wikipedia, Public domain · Edaville Railroad: Dan Crow, CC BY-SA 3.0
Getting set up
The full setup list →Moving to Truro: who provides what
Who provides power, water and the rest in Truro, and how to reach them.
PowerEversource21.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterProvincetown Water DepartmentNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers99% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & dumpTruro Transfer StationDrop-offTown site
SchoolsTruro School DistrictNauset/Provincetown School Districts in Turo (7-12)2 districts serve Truro; which school depends on your address and gradeNCES
Register to voteOnlineIn Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereTruro Town ClerkThe town itself; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2025
ZIP codes02652, 0266602652 57% · 02666 43%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Truro.
OutdoorsA+
Truro has set aside nearly a third of its land for conservation
78 miles of trail in 12 parks and preserves. Truro’s trail density is 3.0 miles per square mile.
61.8%conserved
61.8%
conserved · 10,321 of 16,689 acres
78 mi
of trails · 3 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cape Cod National Seashore | 71.1 mi | 10,629 |
| 2. High Head | 1.4 mi | 78 |
| 3. Pamet Marsh | — | 19 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
SchoolsB−
Truro’s schools rank behind 53% of Massachusetts districts
Its public schools are run by the Truro school district. Its one school is below.
47%of MA districts it outscoresB−School Grade
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Truro CentralLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 78 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests
HousingCost of living grade C
Truro’s typical home value is about $1.04M
The typical Truro home is worth about $1,045,000, about the same as a year ago, 59% above the Massachusetts typical home. 84% of Truro households own their home.
$1.04MZillow home value
Typical home value
Truro$1.04M
Massachusetts$655K
Market temperature
5
days on market
97.3%
sale-to-list price
+0.3%
value change, 1 year
5
homes sold in May
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
HealthA
More of Truro’s adults had a checkup this year than in the typical Massachusetts or U.S. town
87% of adults had a checkup this year in Truro. Truro beats the Massachusetts average on 13 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 3.2% of adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance in Truro.
86%healthier than U.S. townsAHealth Grade
| Truro | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 87% | 82% | 79% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 17% | 16% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 41% | 32% | 35% |
32 measures vs. Massachusetts
13 better13 too close to call6 worse
| What stands out | Truro | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.5% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.5% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.4% | 8.5% |
Cape Cod Hospital
27 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Natural hazardsHazard risk grade B+
Inland flooding leads a low hazard risk in Truro
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 70% of U.S. communities. Since 1983, 23 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Truro.
30risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesCoastal flooding
23
paid flood claims since 1983
7
federal disasters paid out here
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Climate
Compared with most of Massachusetts and the rest of the country, a typical July afternoon in Truro is cooler
The July high in Truro is 78°F. Truro has chilly winters and pleasant summers.
78°summer high
Typical low → high °F
Winter27–40°
Spring39–53°
Summer60–76°
Fall47–61°
Nov 4
typical first frost
Apr 13
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
78°
typical summer high
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Work & commuteJobs & income grade B
Truro has 0.8 jobs for every working resident, so most commute out
Most working residents leave Truro for work: only 18% work in town. Jobs based in Truro grew to 492 in 2023, 106 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Provincetown (18%), Boston (8%) and Eastham (3%).
18%work in town
| Truro | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 18% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 4.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 30 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Where working residents work
In Truro18%
Provincetown18%
Boston8%
Eastham3%
Orleans3%
28 mi
median commute distance
492
jobs based in Truro
Balanced
jobs vs. working residents
B−
Walkability grade: more walkable than 53% of U.S. towns
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
59%of U.S. towns report more crimeBSafety Grade
Violent crime per 1,000 residents
Truro2.8
Massachusetts3
U.S.3.3
Property crime per 1,000 residents
Truro10
Massachusetts10.4
U.S.15.5
59th
percentile among U.S. towns we grade
7
violent crimes reported in 2025
25
property crimes reported in 2025
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Truro
20pages on Truro
The big questions
SchoolsB−Behind 53% of MA districts · 1 schoolSafetyB2.8 violent crimes per 1,000 residents (2025)HealthABetter than MA on 13 of 32 CDC measuresCost of livingC$1.04M typical home · up 0.3% in a yearWork & commuteB$119K median household income · 492 jobs hereNatural hazardsB+FEMA risk higher than 30% of U.S. communities · inland flooding
Out and about
The story
After high school
Colleges nearby
None within 15 miles of Truro; the nearest are
Cape Cod Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · West Barnstable26.3 mi$6,000 in-state tuitionMassachusetts Maritime AcademyUniversity or college · Public · Buzzards Bay34.5 mi$11,420 in-state tuition
About 4 of every 100 Truro residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
A growing town
Truro has grown 25% since 2010
2,003 counted in 2010 and 2,454 in 2020; an estimated 2,483 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Landmarks
9 places in Truro on the National Register of Historic Places.
About Truro
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Truro () is a town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts, comprising two villages: Truro and North Truro. Located slightly more than 100 miles (160 km) by road from Boston, it is a summer vacation community just south of the northern tip of Cape Cod, in an area known as the "Outer Cape". English colonists named it after Truro in Cornwall, United Kingdom. The historic Wampanoag Native American people called the area Pamet or Payomet. Their language was part of the large Algonquian family. This name was adopted for the Pamet River and the harbor area around the town center known as the Pamet Roads. The population of Truro was 2,454 at the 2020 census. Over half of the land area of the town is part of.…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Established
- 1700
- Area
- 26 sq mi
- Elevation
- 26 ft
- ZIP code
- 02666
Truro’s neighbors
2 towns share a border with Truro.
ProvincetownWellfleetTruro
How the neighbors grade
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Truro | — | — | C | B | B− | A |
| Provincetown | #251 | C− | C− | C− | D | A− |
| Wellfleet | #161 | B | D | B+ | B+ | A |
Truro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Truro with a neighbor →
Questions about Truro
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Truro, MA expensive?
That is 11 years of the area's median household income ($95,241 across the Barnstable Town, 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.
What is Truro, MA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Danny MacFayden and Edward Knight Collins.