Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Westborough grades A− overall, ranked 83rd of 282 in Massachusetts. It has 41 miles of trail. CDC estimates put its residents' health ahead of 96% of the country and its schools rank ahead of 89% of Massachusetts towns. The trade-off is money: homes are expensive, about $727K for a typical one and 7.6 times the Worcester metro’s $96K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 93% of U.S. towns, with 11 places on the National Register. 65% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Westborough, above both the Massachusetts town median (47%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). Its National Register listings include Vintonville Historic District and Lyman School for Boys. Westborough is more walkable than 80% of U.S. towns.
Where Westborough beats most towns.
Census counts: 933 in 1790, 21,567 in 2020. The archive holds 24 old photos and papers going back to 1785 and 7 maps from 1887 on.
11 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Westborough is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for health (better than 96% of comparable towns) to D− for cost of living (better than 5%), so the A− overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westborough. Close and well known come first.
Big draw22 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
Big draw27 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw20 mi LakeLake Chaubunagungamaug
Big draw27 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
18 mi LakeWalden Pond
29 mi AttractionFreedom TrailGillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Fenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Lake Chaubunagungamaug: Bree from Worcester, MA, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · 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 Westborough, 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 Westborough.
Westborough draws workers from Worcester and beyond, but it reports more crime than Shrewsbury and its other graded neighbors and has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
Its widest gap with Massachusetts is no health insurance: 3.3% of those 18–64 have no health insurance, against 5.2% statewide.
8.3% of Westborough adults smoke cigarettes. Westborough beats the Massachusetts average on 15 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 0. 14% of Westborough adults report frequent mental distress.
| Westborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 8.3% | 11% | 14% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 11% | 12% | 14% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 27% | 28% | 35% |
| What stands out | Westborough | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 3.3% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults facing housing insecurity | 7.4% | 11.1% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a D− for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $727K.
Its public schools are run by the Westborough school district. Three of its 12 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mill Pond SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 4–6 | Grades 4–6 | 834 | A |
| Westborough HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,213 | A+ |
| Sarah W Gibbons MiddleTop results in townGrades 7–8 | Grades 7–8 | 610 | A |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
21,059 jobs are based in Westborough, 2.4 for every working resident, so most of the people who work here commute in.
Most working residents leave Westborough for work: only 14% work in town. Westborough’s median household income is $142,000. The top destinations are Boston (9%), Worcester (8%) and Framingham (5%).
| Westborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 27% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $142,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
The trail density in Westborough is 1.9 miles per square mile. Wayne F. MacCallum Wildlife Management Area, at 630 acres with 8.2 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Wayne F. MacCallum Wildlife Management Area | 8.2 mi | 630 |
| 2. Westboro Resevoir & Cons. Land | 3.6 mi | 196 |
| 3. George H. Nichols F.C. | 2.3 mi | 522 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 87% of U.S. communities. Since 1982, 5 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Westborough.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Westborough has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. July afternoons reach 84°, January nights drop to 17° and about 48 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 7.6 years of the Worcester metro’s $96K median household income, the typical home (about $727K) costs more against local pay than in 76% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D− for cost of living. The median property tax bill is $9,983, against $5,992 across Massachusetts, another input to its cost-of-living grade.
62% of households own their home in Westborough. The typical Westborough home is worth about $727,000, about the same as a year ago, 11% above the Massachusetts typical home.
| Westborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,106 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 62% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Westborough is safe by national standards, yet each of the 6 graded towns on its borders reports less crime per resident, from Shrewsbury (A−) to Northborough (A+).
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Westborough sits closer to the middle.
| Westborough | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.2 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.5 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
8 within 15 miles of the center of Westborough
About 4 of every 100 Westborough residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
18,272 counted in 2010 and 21,567 in 2020; an estimated 22,894 in 2025.
Growth hasn’t slowed: 6.2% since 2020, after 18% in the decade before.
U.S. Census 2010 & 2020 counts · Census Bureau estimate, July 1, 2025
11 places in Westborough on the National Register of Historic Places.
14 notable people were born in Westborough.
Town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, US
Westborough is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 21,567 at the 2020 census, in over 7,000 households. It contains the census-designated place of the same name. Incorporated in 1717, the town is governed under the New England open town meeting system, headed by a five-member elected Board of Selectmen whose duties include licensing, appointing various administrative positions, and calling a town meeting of citizens annually or whenever the need arises.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
7 towns share a border with Westborough.
All 6 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its A−; Upton (A) is closest. Upton next door grades lower for schools (B to Westborough’s A) and higher for cost of living (C to D−).
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westborough | #83 | A− | D− | B | A | A+ |
| Hopkinton | #12 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Northborough | #47 | A | D | A+ | A− | A+ |
| Grafton | #62 | A | C− | A | B+ | A |
| Southborough | #9 | A+ | D | A | A+ | A+ |
| Shrewsbury | #48 | A | D | A− | A | A+ |
| Cordaville | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Upton | #82 | A | C | A | B | A |
Cordaville isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Westborough with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Westborough grades A− overall, better than 84% of U.S. towns and #83 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A+ for health, B for safety and A for schools. Cost of living is its weak spot, with a D−.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Westborough sits nearer the middle.
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−.
14 notable people were born here, including Eli Whitney and Ralph Dawson.
