Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
West Newbury's standout: it has 25 miles of trail and 26% conserved land. Overall it grades A, ranked 68th of 282 in Massachusetts. The median household earns $180K and it is healthier than 96% of U.S. towns. West Newbury’s median household income is $180,000, against $120,000 in Massachusetts’ towns and $80,000 across U.S. towns. Only 21 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on walkability. West Newbury's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 92% of U.S. towns.
Where West Newbury beats most towns.
Census counts: 1,279 in 1820, a low of 1,279 in 1820, 4,500 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1906 and 6 maps from 1932 on.
6 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far West Newbury is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Newbury. Close and well known come first.
Big draw32 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw33 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
32 mi LakeWalden Pond
13 mi Ancient siteAmerica's Stonehenge
31 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
33 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 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · America's Stonehenge: User:Stan Shebs, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Museum of Fine Arts Boston: Martin~jawiki at Japanese Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Newbury, 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 Newbury.
West Newbury has less no health insurance than most of Massachusetts and has household incomes well above the Massachusetts norm, but it has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 2.5% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide. Against the 1,375 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Newbury’s, it is healthier than 66%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
28% of adults feel lonely in West Newbury. West Newbury beats the Massachusetts average on 16 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 1. 13% of adults report frequent mental distress in West Newbury.
| West Newbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.4% | 11% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 12% | 15% | 19% |
| What stands out | West Newbury | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 2.5% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.3% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.1% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Pentucket school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Pentucket Regional Sr High, with 578 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pentucket Regional MiddleLargest public middle schoolGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 335 | C+ |
| Pentucket Regional Sr HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 578 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Violent crime is rare: 2 reported in 2025, 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
West Newbury’s violent crime rate is 0.4 per 1,000 residents.
| West Newbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 0.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
At 8.1 years of the Boston metro’s $116K median household income, the typical home (about $940K) costs more against local pay than in 81% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its C for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,240, against $5,992 across Massachusetts, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
The typical West Newbury home is worth about $940,000, up 1.2% in a year, 43% above the Massachusetts typical home. The median rent in West Newbury is $1,675 a month.
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
25 miles of trail in 27 parks and preserves. Crane Pond Wildlife Management Area, at 469 acres with 1.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Mill Pond & Pipestave Hill Recreation Area | 5.3 mi | 287 |
| 2. Riverbend Conservation Area | 4.1 mi | 186 |
| 3. Brake Hill | 1.8 mi | 110 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
1.6% of West Newbury residents live below the poverty line. Most working residents leave West Newbury for work: only 5% work in town. The top destinations are Boston (12%), Newburyport (8%) and Haverhill (4%).
| West Newbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Below the poverty line | 1.6% | 6% | 9.6% |
| Average trip to work | 31 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 4.9% | 9.9% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
West Newbury has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 82°, January nights drop to 17° and about 62 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 56% of U.S. communities. Since 1987, 3 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Newbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
6 within 15 miles of the center of West Newbury
About 4 of every 100 West Newbury residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Coastal flooding makes up 23% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
6 places in West Newbury on the National Register of Historic Places.
9 notable people were born in West Newbury.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
West Newbury is a town in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States. Situated on the Merrimack River, its population was 4,500 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
6 towns share a border with West Newbury.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Newbury | #68 | A | C | A | B+ | A+ |
| Newburyport | #63 | A | C− | A− | B+ | A+ |
| Newbury | #126 | B+ | C− | B+ | B− | A |
| Merrimac | #46 | A+ | C | A+ | B+ | A− |
| Haverhill | #249 | C− | C− | C+ | D | B |
| Amesbury | #214 | C+ | D | B+ | C+ | — |
| Groveland | #85 | A− | C− | A+ | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
By most measures, yes. West Newbury grades A overall, better than 90% of U.S. towns and #68 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A for safety and B+ for schools. Walkability is its weak spot, with a C−.
That is 8.1 years of the area's median household income ($115,863 across the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH 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.
9 notable people were born here, including John Cena and Addison Brown.
