Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
The best of Wales’ subject grades are an A+ for safety and the outdoors and an A− for incomes; the weakest is a C for cost of living. Only 2 of Massachusetts’ 300 towns score higher on safety. Most errands need a car: it is less walkable than 73% of U.S. towns. Of the 284 Massachusetts towns we compare, none has a lower share of working residents who work in town than Wales. 47% of the land in Wales is conserved, above both Massachusetts’ towns (19%) and U.S. towns (4.3%). The biggest place to walk is Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary, 2,975 acres with 9.5 miles of trail. On history, just 19 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do worse. Wales has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade.
Where Wales beats most towns.
Census counts: 606 in 1790, a low of 300 in 1930, 1,832 in 2020. The archive holds 15 old photos and papers going back to 1795 and 8 maps from 1887 on.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Wales is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wales. Close and well known come first.
Big draw20 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
18 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
21 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
20 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
31 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
8 mi MuseumOld Sturbridge VillageLake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Springfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Old Sturbridge Village: Wgmleslie at en.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 2.5
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wales, 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 Wales.
Of the 278 Massachusetts towns we compare, none has a lower property crime rate than Wales. Wales’ violent crime rate is 0 per 1,000 residents, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 1.5 and U.S. towns at 1.6.
| Wales | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Wales school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wales ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–6 | Grades PK–6 | 93 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
21 miles of trail in 2 parks and preserves. The trail density in Wales is 1.3 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Norcross Wildlife Sanctuary | 9.5 mi | 2,975 |
| 2. Brimfield State Forest | 6.7 mi | 1,172 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Wales home is worth about $352,000, up 5.5% in a year, 46% below the Massachusetts typical home. Wales’ median rent is $1,104 a month.
| Wales | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 89% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,104 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Wales for work: only 3% work in town. Since 2013, Wales has added 21 jobs, to 153 in 2023. 5.1% of Wales residents live below the poverty line.
| Wales | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $89,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 5.1% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Work from home | 14% | 18% | 11% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Wales has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 16° and about 64 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Wales beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 7. 28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Wales.
| Wales | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 17% |
| What stands out | Wales | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with arthritis | 32.1% | 25.4% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.4% | 5.9% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10.6% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 58% of U.S. communities. Since 2005, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wales.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Wales; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Wales residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Wales’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Wales is a town in Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,838 at the 2020 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Wales.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wales | — | — | C | A+ | B | B |
| Holland | #178 | B | D | A | B | B |
| Brimfield | #103 | A− | C | A | B | A− |
| Monson | #254 | C− | C | B− | C− | B− |
Wales has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Wales with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
That is 4.9 years of the area's median household income ($71,306 across the Springfield, 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.
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