Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
Westport grades B− overall, 198th of 282 graded towns in Massachusetts, with clear strengths and some subjects that lag. The median household earns $96K and crime is low: it reports less per resident than 78% of U.S. towns. On the other side, homes are expensive, about $675K for a typical one and 7.8 times the Providence metro’s $87K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 91% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Westport’s trail density is 0.3 miles per square mile, below the Massachusetts town median (1.8) and near the median of U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Paul Cuffe Farm and Westport Point Historic District.
Where Westport beats most towns.
Paul Cuffe Farm is a National Historic Landmark, the National Register’s top tier.
Census counts: 2,466 in 1790, 16,339 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1652 and 7 maps from 1888 on.
3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Westport is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Westport. Close and well known come first.
Big draw14 mi MuseumThe Breakers
Big draw37 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
10 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
14 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
14 mi MuseumMarble House
14 mi MuseumThe ElmsThe Breakers: UpstateNYer, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, 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
Who provides power, water and the rest in Westport, 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 Westport.
Westport is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but behind most towns in Massachusetts; it also has homes that cost more against local pay than most of Massachusetts.
At 9 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports less crime than 63% of Massachusetts’s graded towns.
Westport’s property crime rate is 3.6 per 1,000 residents, where Massachusetts’ towns sit at 4.9 and U.S. towns at 9.9.
| Westport | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 3.6 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 1.4 per 1,000 residents | 1.5 | 1.6 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Its public schools are run by the Westport school district. Two of its 3 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Westport Middle-High School, with 889 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Westport ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 1–4 | Grades 1–4 | 463 | B− |
| Westport Middle-High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 5–12 | Grades 5–12 | 889 | B− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 81% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 97 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Westport.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Most working residents leave Westport for work: only 15% work in town. Since 2013, Westport has added 818 jobs, to 4,024 in 2023. 9.2% of Westport workers work from home.
| Westport | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Work from home | 9.2% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 15% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Median household income | $96,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Average trip to work | 29 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Within Massachusetts it is less healthy than 80% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
Westport beats the Massachusetts average on 9 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 9. 84% of adults had a checkup this year in Westport.
| Westport | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yearly checkup (CDC PLACES) | 84% | 82% | 79% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 28% | 35% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 14% | 12% | 14% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 33% | 36% |
| What stands out | Westport | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer uninsured adults | 4.1% | 5.2% |
| Fewer adults without reliable transportation | 6.1% | 7.6% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 11.3% | 8.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
21 miles of trail in 44 parks and preserves. The biggest park or preserve is Horseneck Beach State Reservation, at 433 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Herb Hadfield Conservation Area | 2.3 mi | 184 |
| 2. Dunham's Brook Conservation Area | 2 mi | 151 |
| 3. Westport Woods | 2 mi | 82 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Westport has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. The July high in Westport is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
At 7.8 years of the Providence metro’s $87K median household income, the typical home (about $675K) costs more against local pay than in 78% of Massachusetts towns; that ratio is one input to its D for cost of living.
Typical home values rose 6.1% in the year to September 2026. Westport’s median rent is $1,425 a month.
| Westport | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 83% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $1,425 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
5 within 15 miles of the center of Westport
About 7 of every 100 Westport residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts.
Where Westport’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Westport on the National Register of Historic Places.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Westport (Massachusett: Acoaxet) is a town in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 16,339 at the 2020 census. The village of North Westport lies in the town. Other named areas of the town are "Westport Point," which has a dock on the Westport River where Main Road meets the river; "Central Village" with town offices, retail stores and businesses; "Head of Westport" at the head of the east branch of the river; and the area referred to either as "Acoaxet" or "Westport Harbor," which is between the west branch of the river and Rhode Island. This area is cut off from the rest of Massachusetts by water and Rhode Island. Westport is a part of the South Coast region of …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Westport.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Westport | #198 | B− | D | A− | C | B+ |
| Dartmouth | #184 | B− | D | C+ | B | B+ |
| North Westport | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Fall River | #280 | D− | C− | D | D | C− |
North Westport isn’t graded (fewer than 1,000 residents, or not enough data). Compare Westport with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Westport grades B− overall, better than 51% of U.S. towns and #198 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades B+ for health, A− for safety and C 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.
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