Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Waltham's standout: it is among the most walkable places in the country. Overall it grades B−, ranked 187th of 282 in Massachusetts. It is healthier than 92% of U.S. towns and the median household earns $120K. Its weakest subject is cost of living: the typical home is worth about $807K, 7 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 95% of U.S. towns, with 108 places on the National Register. Waltham’s trail density is 2.7 miles per square mile, above both the Massachusetts town median (1.8) and the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Robert Treat Paine Jr. House and Boston Manufacturing Company. Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 9 have a lower median age than Waltham.
Where Waltham beats most towns.
Vale, The is one of 3 National Historic Landmarks here, the National Register’s top tier. Its 108 National Register listings are more than in 98% of Massachusetts towns with a listing.
Census counts: 882 in 1790, 65,218 in 2020. The archive holds 25 old photos and papers going back to 1703 and 6 maps from 1893 on.
Waltham takes its name from Waltham Abbey in Essex, England, 3,280 miles across the Atlantic.
UKUK editionWaltham, settled in 1634, takes its name from Waltham Abbey, a town in Essex, England.
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 Waltham is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 9%), so the B− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Waltham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw8 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw8 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
6 mi LakeWalden Pond
6 mi Stadium & arenaHarvard Stadium
Big draw39 mi LakeLake ChaubunagungamaugFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Harvard Stadium: Nick Allen, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Waltham, 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 Waltham.
Waltham draws workers from Boston and beyond, but it trails Weston and its other neighbors on schools and has a long record of flood insurance claims.
38 miles of trail in 45 parks and preserves. Prospect Hill Park, at 274 acres with 7 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Prospect Hill Park | 7 mi | 274 |
| 2. Beaver Brook North Reservation | 5.5 mi | 201 |
| 3. Storer Conservation Land | 3.9 mi | 105 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Each of its 6 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its C, Weston highest at A+.
Its public schools are run by the Waltham school district. Two of its 15 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| John F Kennedy MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 6–8 | Grades 6–8 | 635 | B− |
| Waltham Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,791 | B |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
64,101 jobs are based in Waltham, 2.1 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Waltham for work: only 19% work in town. 24% of workers work from home in Waltham, above both Massachusetts’ towns (18%) and U.S. towns (11%). Since 2013, Waltham has added 7,018 jobs, to 64,101 in 2023.
| Waltham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 24% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 19% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $120,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
25% of Waltham adults have high blood pressure. Among 279 Massachusetts towns, just 8 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Waltham. 24% of Waltham adults have obesity.
| Waltham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 35% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 9.9% | 12% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Waltham | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults with COPD | 4.2% | 5.9% |
| Fewer adults with heart disease | 4.2% | 5.8% |
| Fewer adults treating high blood pressure | 69.3% | 75.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Waltham’s median rent is $2,268 a month. The typical Waltham home is worth about $807,000, up 0.8% in a year, 23% above the Massachusetts typical home. 50% of households own their home in Waltham.
| Waltham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 50% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,268 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 45% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Waltham has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 18° and about 59 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
114 flood insurance claims have been filed here, and 14 properties have flooded more than once.
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 114 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Waltham.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Waltham sits closer to the middle. The violent crime rate in Waltham is 2.2 per 1,000 residents.
| Waltham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
51 within 15 miles of the center of Waltham
College town 19 of every 100 Waltham residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
2 colleges in town.
108 places in Waltham on the National Register of Historic Places.
62 notable people were born in Waltham.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Waltham ( WAWL-tham) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. The original home of the Boston Manufacturing Company, the city was a prototype for 19th century industrial city planning, spawning what became known as the Waltham-Lowell system of labor and production. The city is now a center for research and higher education as home to Brandeis University and Bentley University. The population was 65,218 at the 2020 United States census. Waltham is part of the Greater Boston area and lies 9 miles (14 km) west of Downtown Boston. Waltham has been called "Watc…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with Waltham.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Waltham grades B− overall, better than 54% of U.S. towns and #187 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 D.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Waltham 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 D.
62 notable people were born here, including Kenneth G. Wilson and Caroll Spinney.
