Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wellfleet grades B overall, ranked 161st of 282 in Massachusetts. It has 98 miles of trail and 34% conserved land. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 90% of the country. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $930K for a typical one and 9.8 times the Barnstable Town metro’s $95K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 18 places on the National Register. 35% of residents are 65 or older in Wellfleet, above both the Massachusetts town median (19%) and the median of U.S. towns (18%). Wellfleet is easier to get around on foot or by transit than 89% of U.S. towns. Cape Cod National Seashore, at 10,982 acres with 77.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where Wellfleet beats most towns.
Samuel and Minette Kuhn House
Census counts: 1,117 in 1790, a low of 823 in 1930, 3,566 in 2020. The archive holds 12 old photos and papers going back to 1730 and 5 maps from 1887 on.
18 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Wellfleet is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wellfleet. Close and well known come first.
in town National SeashoreCape Cod National Seashore3.7M visitors a year
23 mi Ancient siteSS Pendleton
31 mi MuseumPlimoth Patuxet
12 mi LandmarkPilgrim Monument
34 mi LandmarkNational Monument to the Forefathers
39 mi Theme parkEdaville RailroadCape Cod National Seashore: SeduisantRedux, CC BY 3.0 · SS Pendleton: United States Coast Guard, Richard C. Kelsey, Public domain · Plimoth Patuxet: Tr!sie, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Pilgrim Monument: Peter Whitlock (Transferred by adavyd/Originally uploaded by Willster3), 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Wellfleet, 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 Wellfleet.
Wellfleet has a longer frost-free season than almost anywhere else in Massachusetts and is a second-home town, but it is a long drive from an emergency room.
Its 7,567 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 85% of Massachusetts towns. Its A+ for the outdoors ranks #1 of 283 in Massachusetts.
98 miles of trail in 25 parks and preserves. Wellfleet’s trail density is 2.8 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cape Cod National Seashore | 77.4 mi | 10,982 |
| 2. Mass Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary | 4 mi | 331 |
| 3. Cape Cod Rail Trail | 1.4 mi | 26 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the Wellfleet school district. Its one school is below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wellfleet ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 78 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
The nearest emergency room, Cape Cod Hospital, is 22.1 miles away in a straight line. Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 62% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
86% of Wellfleet adults had a checkup this year. Wellfleet beats the Massachusetts average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 6. 3% of Wellfleet adults 18 to 64 have no health insurance.
| Wellfleet | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 86% | 82% | 79% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 17% | 16% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Wellfleet | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 6.2% | 11.1% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 14.1% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 9.8 years of the Barnstable Town metro’s $95K median household income, the typical home (about $930K) costs more against local pay than in 91% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
The typical Wellfleet home is worth about $930,000, up 0.9% in a year, 42% above the Massachusetts typical home. 86% of households own their home in Wellfleet.
| Wellfleet | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 86% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,563 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
At 11.2 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 52% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
The property crime rate in Wellfleet is 3.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Wellfleet | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.8 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.6 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
The Chatham weather station, 18 miles away, records that the frost-free season runs about 221 days, the highest of 539 Massachusetts places with climate records. July afternoons average 77.7°, cooler than in 96% of U.S. towns; January nights average 24.9°.
Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 5 have a lower July high than Wellfleet. Wellfleet has chilly winters and pleasant summers. Only 6 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a higher January low than Wellfleet.
| Wellfleet | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| July high | 78°F | 83°F | 85°F |
| January low | 25°F | 18°F | 22°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Jobs based here grew from 730 in 2013 to 982.
About one in 4 of Wellfleet’s working residents works in town. Jobs based in Wellfleet grew to 982 in 2023, 252 more than in 2013. The top destinations are Provincetown (7%), Boston (7%) and Orleans (6%).
| Wellfleet | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 25% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $118,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 9.2% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 51% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 29 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Wellfleet.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
None within 15 miles of Wellfleet; the nearest are
About 3 of every 100 Wellfleet residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
2,750 counted in 2010 and 3,566 in 2020; an estimated 3,707 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
18 places in Wellfleet on the National Register of Historic Places.
4 notable people were born in Wellfleet.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Wellfleet is a town on Cape Cod in Massachusetts. The town had a population of 3,566 at the 2020 United States census, with the summer population growing nearly sixfold. A total of 70% of the town's land area is under protection, and nearly half of it is part of the Cape Cod National Seashore. Wellfleet is known for its oysters, which are celebrated in the annual October Wellfleet OysterFest.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Wellfleet.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wellfleet | #161 | B | D | B+ | B+ | A |
| Eastham | #213 | C+ | D | B | B | A− |
| North Eastham | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Truro | — | — | C | B | B− | A |
Truro has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. North Eastham isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Wellfleet with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Wellfleet grades B overall, better than 62% of U.S. towns and #161 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, B+ for safety and B+ for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D.
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.
4 notable people were born here, including Frank Stubbs and Lorenzo Dow Baker.
