Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Wenham is one of the best-graded places in America: an A+, 1st of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts. The median household earns $195K, CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 95% of the country, and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 90% of U.S. towns. Its lowest mark, an A−, is in schools. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 8 places on the National Register. Wenham’s median household income is $195,000, above both the Massachusetts town median ($120,000) and the median of U.S. towns ($80,000). On hazard risk, just 3 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns do better. Wenham is home to Gordon College.
Where Wenham beats most towns.
Census counts: 502 in 1790, 4,979 in 2020. The archive holds 27 old photos and papers going back to 1696 and 7 maps from 1888 on.
8 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Wenham is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Wenham. Close and well known come first.
Big draw21 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw21 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
19 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
26 mi LakeWalden Pond
18 mi MuseumBunker Hill Monument
21 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 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, 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 Wenham, 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 Wenham.
Wenham is shaped by its college students and has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
At 9.2 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $1.07M) costs more against local pay than in 88% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its for cost of living. Its typical home is the priciest on its borders; Topsfield is next at $969K.
The typical Wenham home is worth about $1,068,000, up 3.9% in a year, 63% above the Massachusetts typical home. 86% of households own their home in Wenham.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Hamilton-Wenham school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bessie Buker ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades K–5 | Grades K–5 | 255 | A− |
| The Academy at Penguin Hall PrivateLargest high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 107 | – |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 2.9% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide. Against the 1,038 U.S. towns with household incomes like Wenham’s, it is less healthy than 54%: its national edge comes with its incomes.
25% of Wenham adults have high blood pressure. Among 279 Massachusetts towns, just 4 have a lower share of adults who have diabetes than Wenham. 10% of Wenham adults report frequent physical distress.
| Wenham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 32% | 35% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 6.8% | 9.3% | 12% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 10% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Wenham | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.9% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 7.9% | 12.4% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
20 miles of trail in 21 parks and preserves. Wenham’s trail density is 2.4 miles per square mile. The biggest park or preserve is Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary, at 429 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Salem Beverly Water Canal | 3.2 mi | 222 |
| 2. Cedar Pond Wildlife Sanctuary | 2.8 mi | 161 |
| 3. Longham Reservoir | 1.2 mi | 171 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The property crime rate in Wenham is 0.8 per 1,000 residents.
| Wenham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.8 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
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 94% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Wenham since 1982.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Jobs based here grew from 1,039 in 2013 to 1,518. 29.4% of workers work from home, against 18.6% across Massachusetts.
Most working residents leave Wenham for work: only 14% work in town. Since 2013, Wenham has added 479 jobs, to 1,518 in 2023. The top destinations are Boston (22%), Beverly (9%) and Danvers (4%).
| Wenham | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 29% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.7% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 28 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Wenham has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 19° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
7 within 15 miles of the center of Wenham
College town 28 of every 100 Wenham residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
8 places in Wenham on the National Register of Historic Places.
6 notable people were born in Wenham.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Wenham () is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts. The population was 4,979 at the time of the 2020 census. The town of Wenham was settled in 1635 and incorporated in 1643, and is closely tied to its neighboring town of Hamilton, sharing a school system, library, recreation department and commuter rail station. Noted for its historic character and rural scenery, Wenham has farm lands, lakes, woodlands, historic homes, and old stone walls that accompany its winding tree-lined roads. It features nearly 300 acres (120 ha) of parks, playgrounds, and recreational lands.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Wenham.
At #1 in MA, it grades higher overall than all 5 graded towns on its borders; Topsfield (A+) comes closest.
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Yes, by almost any measure. Wenham grades A+ overall, among the top 2% of U.S. towns and #1 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and A− for schools.
6 notable people were born here, including Laurie Stephens and Henry McKean.
