Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Boylston grades A overall, ranked 69th of 282 in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It reports less crime per resident than 82% of U.S. towns and residents are healthier than 80% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates. It also does better than most on incomes: the median household earns $105K. Its lowest everyday mark is in cost of living: the typical home is worth about $518K, 5.4 years of the Worcester metro’s $96K median household income. 41% of the land in West Boylston is conserved, against 19% in Massachusetts’ towns and 4.3% across U.S. towns. Only 7 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on the outdoors. Wachusett Reservoir Watershed, at 3,229 acres with 6.6 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
Where West Boylston beats most towns.
Old Stone Church
Census counts: 1,749 in 1850, a low of 1,270 in 1910, 7,877 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1891 and 7 maps from 1885 on.
7 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far West Boylston is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Boylston. Close and well known come first.
Big draw35 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw23 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw33 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw35 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
23 mi LakeWalden Pond
37 mi AttractionFreedom TrailFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 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 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Boylston, 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 West Boylston.
West Boylston pairs an A overall with homes cheaper than the Massachusetts norm, keeps more of its land conserved than most of Massachusetts and trades workers with Worcester and other neighbors.
Its 3,616 conserved acres are a larger share of the town than in 96% of Massachusetts towns.
12 miles of trail in 4 parks and preserves. West Boylston’s trail density is 0.9 miles per square mile, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 1.8 and U.S. towns at 0.4.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wachusett Reservoir Watershed | 6.6 mi | 3,229 |
| 2. Goodale Park | — | 22 |
| 3. Woodland Park | — | 6 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Its public schools are run by the West Boylston school district. Its two schools are below. The largest public high school is West Boylston Junior/Senior High, with 461 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Major Edwards ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–5 | Grades PK–5 | 462 | B+ |
| West Boylston Junior/Senior HighLargest public high schoolGrades 6–12 | Grades 6–12 | 461 | B+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 2007, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Boylston.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Violent crime is rare: 9 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
The property crime rate in West Boylston is 2.5 per 1,000 residents.
| West Boylston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 68% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
18% of adults binge drink in West Boylston. West Boylston beats the Massachusetts average on 4 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 3. 31% of adults have obesity in West Boylston.
| West Boylston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 31% | 28% | 35% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 22% | 19% | 25% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 24% | 23% |
| What stands out | West Boylston | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 8.8% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 8.9% | 11.1% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 10% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
West Boylston grades A overall with a typical home of about $518K, below the Massachusetts typical value; only 21 of the 109 Massachusetts towns graded A− or better can say that.
The typical West Boylston home is worth about $518,000, up 2.7% in a year, 21% below the Massachusetts typical home. West Boylston’s median rent is $1,261 a month.
| West Boylston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,261 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 78% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
West Boylston has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 83°, January nights drop to 16° and about 73 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
People 65 and older are 26% of residents (18% statewide); adults 18 to 34 are 18% of residents (24% statewide). 16% of West Boylston residents are under 18. 42% of adults 25 and older have a bachelor’s degree or more, vs 47% across Massachusetts.
| West Boylston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aged 65 or older | 26% | 19% | 18% |
| Under 18 | 16% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 45.5 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 42% | 47% | 29% |
48% women, 52% men
That’s an even split within the survey’s margin of ±2.8 points. Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| West Boylston | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 8.2% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 8.1% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 4.6% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 13.5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 14.9% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 10.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 14.7% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 14.9% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 10.8% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 8.1% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.7% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 15.4% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 10% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 25.7% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 16.1% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
West Boylston has about as many jobs (3,849) as working residents, but only 267 people both live and work here.
Most working residents leave West Boylston for work: only 7% work in town. Since 2013, West Boylston has added 284 jobs, to 3,849 in 2023. The top destinations are Worcester (22%), Boston (8%) and Marlborough (4%).
| West Boylston | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 25 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $105,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 18% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 6.6% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
8 within 15 miles of the center of West Boylston
About 3 of every 100 West Boylston residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
41% of the town is conserved land, across 4 parks and preserves.
7 places in West Boylston on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in West Boylston.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
West Boylston is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States and a northern suburb of Worcester. The population was 7,877 at the 2020 census. West Boylston includes the village of Oakdale, located on the opposite side of the Wachusett Reservoir from West Boylston center along Route 140. Although the town was split off from Boylston, it has a larger population than its eastern namesake.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with West Boylston.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Boylston | #69 | A | C | A− | B+ | A− |
| Boylston | #95 | A− | D | A− | A− | A |
| Sterling | #75 | A | D | A | B+ | A |
| Shrewsbury | #48 | A | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Holden | #87 | A− | C− | A | B+ | A |
| Worcester | #259 | D | C− | — | C− | C+ |
Worcester reports no FBI crime data of its own. Compare West Boylston with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. West Boylston grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #69 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A− for health, A− for safety and B+ for schools.
Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades C.
9 notable people were born here, including Jill Lepore and Edwin Holmes.
