Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Westfield grades C+ overall, 229th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. It is more walkable than 89% of U.S. towns and it has 30 miles of trail. On the other side, FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 81% of U.S. communities, with inland flooding at the top. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 96% of U.S. towns, with 14 places on the National Register. Its National Register listings include United States Whip Company Complex and Westfield Municipal Building. Westfield’s trail density is 0.7 miles per square mile, against 1.8 in Massachusetts’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Westfield is home to Westfield State University.
Where Westfield beats most towns.
Census counts: 2,204 in 1790, 40,834 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1761 and 4 maps from 1896 on.
14 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Westfield is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westfield. Close and well known come first.
9 mi National Historic SiteSpringfield Armory National Historic Site14K visitors a year
10 mi Theme parkSix Flags New England
26 mi Stadium & arenaPeoplesBank Arena
28 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
35 mi Theme parkLake Compounce
27 mi Stadium & arenaPratt & Whitney StadiumSpringfield Armory National Historic Site: National Park Service, Public domain · Six Flags New England: Canadaolympic989, Public domain · PeoplesBank Arena: PeoplesBank Arena, CC BY 2.5 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · Lake Compounce: Wildcat1 at English Wikipedia, Public domain · Pratt & Whitney Stadium: Quintin Soloviev, CC BY 4.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westfield, 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 Westfield.
Westfield has hotter summers than almost anywhere else in Massachusetts and trades workers with Springfield and other neighbors, but it carries more natural-hazard risk than most of Massachusetts (mostly inland flooding).
The typical Westfield home is worth about $384,000, up 3.6% in a year, 41% below the Massachusetts typical home. Westfield’s median rent is $1,117 a month, below Massachusetts’ towns ($1,683 a month) and close to U.S. towns ($1,185 a month). 69% of households own their home in Westfield.
| Westfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,117 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 69% | 79% | 73% |
| Renters paying 30%+ of income on rent | 47% | 53% | 48% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Its public schools are run by the Westfield school district. Two of its 16 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield Intermediate SchoolLargest public middle schoolGrades 5–6 | Grades 5–6 | 729 | C+ |
| Westfield HighLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 1,034 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 98% of Massachusetts towns, with expected losses of about $412 per resident a year; that rating is what its D for hazard risk is built on.
Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 5 have a higher FEMA risk score than Westfield. Since 1979, 35 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Westfield.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
31 miles of trail in 50 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Westfield Wildlife Management Area, at 244 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Frank Stanley Beveridge Memorial Wildlife Sanctuary | 5.1 mi | 197 |
| 2. Stanley Park | 1.7 mi | 89 |
| 3. Robinson State Park | 1 mi | 40 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
July afternoons average 85.2°, the highest of 541 Massachusetts places with climate records; January nights average 16.3°.
Westfield has chilly, snowy winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Among 283 Massachusetts towns, just 1 have a higher July high than Westfield. About 52 inches of snow falls in a winter.
| Westfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 16°F | 18°F | 22°F |
| July high | 85°F | 83°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Westfield has about as many jobs (16,347) as working residents, but only 4,123 people both live and work here.
About one in 4 of Westfield’s working residents works in town. 8.6% of Westfield workers work from home. The top destinations are Springfield (14%), West Springfield Town (5%) and Holyoke (5%).
| Westfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Working residents who work in town | 23% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Work from home | 8.6% | 18% | 11% |
| Median household income | $88,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Below the poverty line | 11% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 86% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
Westfield beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 8. Among 279 Massachusetts towns, just 2 have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Westfield.
| Westfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 29% | 24% | 23% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 37% | 33% | 33% |
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 19% | 16% | 17% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| What stands out | Westfield | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with depression | 28.5% | 23.8% |
| More adults with COPD | 7% | 5.9% |
| More smokers | 13.3% | 11.3% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Westfield sits closer to the middle.
| Westfield | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.1 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 7.3 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
12 within 15 miles of the center of Westfield
About 10 of every 100 Westfield residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
14 places in Westfield on the National Register of Historic Places.
31 notable people were born in Westfield.
City in the United States
Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 40,834 at the 2020 census.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
8 towns share a border with Westfield.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westfield | #229 | C+ | C− | B | C | B |
| Russell | — | — | C− | — | C− | B+ |
| West Springfield Town | #269 | D | D | D | C | C+ |
| Agawam Town | #243 | C | C− | C+ | C | B+ |
| Montgomery | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Granville | — | — | D | A | C+ | B+ |
| Southwick | #200 | B− | D | A− | C+ | B+ |
| Southampton | #124 | B+ | C | A− | B− | A |
Russell and Granville have fewer than 2,500 residents, so they get subject grades but no overall grade. Russell reports no FBI crime data of its own. Montgomery isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Westfield with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Westfield grades C+ overall, better than 37% of U.S. towns and #229 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B for health, B for safety and C for schools. Hazard risk is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Westfield sits nearer the middle.
Yes. That is 5.4 years of the area's median household income ($71,306 across the Springfield, MA 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−.
31 notable people were born here, including Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden and Frederic Rzewski.
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