Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 3,645, settled in 1669. 6.8 times the library visits per person than the typical Massachusetts town.
Trash: drop-off onlyFor most people who can afford it, yes. West Tisbury grades B+ overall, ranked 143rd of 282 in Massachusetts. It has 70 miles of trail and 26% conserved land. Residents are healthier than 96% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 80% of U.S. towns. What holds it back is price: the typical home is worth about $1.7 million, 13.2 years of the Vineyard Haven area’s $126K median household income. West Tisbury’s typical home value is $1,660,000, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at $633,000 and U.S. towns at $332,000. West Tisbury's civic life (library use, community groups, volunteering) is stronger than in 98% of U.S. towns. Only 12 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on history.
Where West Tisbury beats most towns.
Census counts: 442 in 1900, a low of 260 in 1940, 3,555 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1993 and 5 maps from 1889 on.
1 place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far West Tisbury is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in West Tisbury, 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 Tisbury.
West Tisbury is a second-home town, has fewer 90° days than nearly all U.S. towns and is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s.
At 13.2 years of the Vineyard Haven area’s $126K median household income, the typical home (about $1.66M) costs more against local pay than in 97% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
The median rent in West Tisbury is $2,350 a month. Typical home values rose 5.3% in the year to September 2026. 92% of households own their home in West Tisbury.
| West Tisbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,350 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 92% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Up-Island Regional school district. Its two schools are below.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Tisbury ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–8 | Grades PK–8 | 321 | B− |
| Martha's Vineyard Charter Public SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades K–12 | Grades K–12 | 176 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is food insecurity: 6.6% of its 3,021 adults worry about having enough food, against 12.4% statewide. Against the 1,284 U.S. towns with household incomes like West Tisbury’s, it is healthier than 58%, a smaller edge than it has nationally: part of it comes with its incomes.
25% of West Tisbury adults have obesity. West Tisbury beats the Massachusetts average on 14 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2. 29% of West Tisbury adults feel lonely.
| West Tisbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 28% | 35% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 33% | 33% |
| Get no exercise (CDC PLACES) | 16% | 19% | 25% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.8% | 11% | 14% |
| What stands out | West Tisbury | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 6.6% | 12.4% |
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3% | 5.2% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.4% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
At 8.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 67% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Violent crime is rare: 4 reported in 2025, 1.1 per 1,000 residents.
West Tisbury’s property crime rate is 1.9 per 1,000 residents.
| West Tisbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.9 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
70 miles of trail in 16 parks and preserves. The biggest place to walk is Long Point Wildlife Refuge, 641 acres with 3.8 miles of trail.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Cedar Tree Neck Sanctuary | 4.8 mi | 295 |
| 2. Long Point Wildlife Refuge | 3.8 mi | 641 |
| 3. Greenlands | 3.3 mi | 364 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 72% of U.S. communities. Since 1991, 4 flood insurance claims have been paid out in West Tisbury.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
The Edgartown weather station, 7 miles away, records that about 2 days a year reach 90°, fewer than in 95% of U.S. towns.
West Tisbury has chilly winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 80°, January nights drop to 24° and about 25 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
West Tisbury has about as many jobs (947) as working residents, but only 225 people both live and work here. The average commute takes 16.5 minutes, against 29.1 across Massachusetts.
Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 5 have a lower average trip to work than West Tisbury. Since 2013, West Tisbury has lost 63 jobs, to 947 in 2023. The top destinations are Oak Bluffs (13%), Tisbury (10%) and Edgartown (9%).
| West Tisbury | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $183,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 17 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 22% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 3.6% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around West Tisbury. Close and well known come first.
Big draw34 mi MuseumThe Breakers
34 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
39 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
34 mi MuseumMarble House
34 mi MuseumThe Elms
38 mi Ancient siteSS PendletonThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · USS Massachusetts: USN, Public domain · HMS Endeavour: Samuel Atkins (c.1760-1810), Public domain · Marble House: [email protected], Public domain · The Elms: The original uploader was Daderot at English Wikipedia., CC BY-SA 3.0 · SS Pendleton: United States Coast Guard, Richard C. Kelsey, Public domain
None within 15 miles of West Tisbury; the nearest are
About 7 of every 100 West Tisbury residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts.
2,740 counted in 2010 and 3,555 in 2020; an estimated 3,645 in 2025.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
Town in Massachusetts, United States
West Tisbury is a town on Martha's Vineyard in Massachusetts. The population was 3,555 at the 2020 census. Along with Chilmark and Aquinnah, West Tisbury forms "Up-Island" Martha's Vineyard.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
4 towns share a border with West Tisbury.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| West Tisbury | #143 | B+ | D | A− | B | A+ |
| Chilmark | — | — | D | A | B | A |
| Edgartown | #209 | B− | D | B− | C+ | A− |
| Tisbury | #197 | B− | C− | C− | B+ | A− |
| Gosnold | — | — | — | — | — | — |
Chilmark has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Gosnold isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare West Tisbury with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. West Tisbury grades B+ overall, better than 66% of U.S. towns and #143 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, A− 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.
2 notable people were born here, including Rufus Paine Spalding and Nancy Luce.
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