Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 10,620, incorporated in 1764. Home to 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Trash: drop-off onlyWinchendon's standout: it has 72 miles of trail. Overall it grades C−, 256th among Massachusetts's 282 graded towns. Its weakest subject is schools: its public schools trail 88% of Massachusetts towns on state tests and graduation. History is its standout character grade: an A, better than 94% of U.S. towns, with 3 places on the National Register. Only 9 of Massachusetts’ 325 towns score lower on incomes. 20% of the land in Winchendon is conserved, near the Massachusetts town median (19%) and above the median of U.S. towns (4.3%). Only 24 of Massachusetts’ 321 towns score lower on health.
Where Winchendon beats most towns.
Census counts: 946 in 1790, 10,364 in 2020. The archive holds 36 old photos and papers going back to 1887 and 7 maps from 1887 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 Winchendon is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Who provides power, water and the rest in Winchendon, 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 Winchendon.
Winchendon has poverty well above the Massachusetts rate, but it trails Ashburnham and its other neighbors on schools.
Each of its 4 graded neighbors has a higher School Grade than its D, Ashburnham highest at B.
Its public schools are run by the Winchendon school district. Two of its 7 schools are below, each with why it’s listed.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Toy Town ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades 3–5 | Grades 3–5 | 292 | C− |
| Murdock High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 256 | C+ |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
The typical Winchendon home is worth about $402,000, up 3.8% in a year, 39% below the Massachusetts typical home. At $1,255 a month, Winchendon’s median rent is against $1,683 a month in Massachusetts’ towns and $1,185 a month across U.S. towns.
| Winchendon | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,255 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 77% | 79% | 73% |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Birch Hill Reservoir Area, at 2,584 acres with 20.4 miles of trail, is the biggest park or preserve. Winchendon’s trail density is 1.7 miles per square mile.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Birch Hill Reservoir Area | 20.4 mi | 2,584 |
| 2. Winchendon Springs Wildlife Management Area | 2.7 mi | 860 |
| 3. Otter River State Forest | 1.9 mi | 372 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Most working residents leave Winchendon for work: only 11% work in town. The average trip to work in Winchendon is 32 minutes. Jobs based in Winchendon fell to 1,532 in 2023, 121 fewer than in 2013.
| Winchendon | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 32 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $76,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 11% | 18% | 11% |
| Working residents who work in town | 11% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Winchendon has cold, snowy winters and pleasant summers. July afternoons reach 81°, January nights drop to 13° and about 51 inches of snow falls in a winter.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 59% of U.S. communities. One flood insurance claim has been paid in Winchendon since 1987.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
28% of adults have been diagnosed with depression in Winchendon. Winchendon beats the Massachusetts average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 15. 35% of adults have obesity in Winchendon.
| Winchendon | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 24% | 23% |
| Frequent physical distress (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 12% | 14% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 15% | 11% | 14% |
| Feel lonely (CDC PLACES) | 35% | 33% | 33% |
| What stands out | Winchendon | MA |
|---|---|---|
| More smokers | 15.4% | 11.3% |
| More adults with COPD | 7.9% | 5.9% |
| More adults with obesity | 34.9% | 27.7% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Massachusetts has less reported crime than most states, so among its own towns Winchendon sits closer to the middle.
| Winchendon | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Violent crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 2.3 per 1,000 residents | 1.4 | 1.6 |
| Property crimes per 1,000 (2025) | 6.2 per 1,000 residents | 4.9 | 9.9 |
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Winchendon. Close and well known come first.
14 mi MountainMount Monadnock
40 mi LakeWalden Pond
25 mi LakeQuabbin Reservoir
31 mi Stadium & arenaDCU Center
34 mi MuseumAmerican Heritage Museum
31 mi LandmarkBurnside FountainMount Monadnock: Jonwmcinenrey, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Walden Pond: Victorgrigas, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Quabbin Reservoir: engineerchange, CC BY 2.0 · DCU Center: Terageorge, CC BY-SA 3.0 · American Heritage Museum: Daderot, CC0 · Burnside Fountain: Daderot, CC0
3 within 15 miles of the center of Winchendon
About 5 of every 100 Winchendon residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Where Winchendon’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
3 places in Winchendon on the National Register of Historic Places.
12 notable people were born in Winchendon.
Town in Massachusetts, United States
Winchendon ( WIN-chin-din), nicknamed Toy Town, is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 10,364 at the 2020 census. The town includes the villages of Waterville and Winchendon Springs (also known as Spring Village). A census-designated place, also named Winchendon, is defined within the town for statistical purposes. The Winchendon State Forest, a 174.5 acres (70.62 hectares) parcel, is located within the town as is Otter River State Forest; both recreational areas are managed by the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
5 towns share a border with Winchendon.
All 3 graded towns on its borders grade higher than its C−; Gardner (C−) is closest.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winchendon | #256 | C− | C | B− | D | C+ |
| Gardner | #250 | C− | C+ | B− | C− | C |
| Royalston | — | — | B− | A+ | C− | C+ |
| Templeton | #210 | B− | C+ | A− | C | B |
| Ashburnham | #154 | B | C− | A− | B | B+ |
Royalston has fewer than 2,500 residents, so it gets subject grades but no overall grade. Compare Winchendon with a neighbor →
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Winchendon grades C− overall, better than 16% of U.S. towns and #256 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades C+ for health, B− for safety and D for schools. Schools is its weak spot, with a D.
Yes, by national standards. Massachusetts has less crime than most states, so among its own towns Winchendon sits nearer the middle.
That is 4.2 years of the area's median household income ($95,939 across the Worcester, 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.
Winchendon was incorporated in 1764 and has 3 places on the National Register of Historic Places. 12 notable people were born here, including William B. Washburn and William DeWitt Hyde.
