Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Winthrop Town grades B+ overall, ranked 135th of 282 in Massachusetts. Few places in the country are easier to get around without a car. Residents are healthier than 89% of U.S. towns on CDC estimates and the median household earns $116K. The catch is cost: homes are expensive, about $676K for a typical one and 5.8 times the Boston metro’s $116K median household income. History is its standout character grade: an A+, better than 98% of U.S. towns, with 5 places on the National Register. Winthrop Town’s trail density is 0.8 miles per square mile, below Massachusetts’ towns (1.8) but above U.S. towns (0.4). Its National Register listings include Deane Winthrop House and Winthrop Center/Metcalf Square Historic District.
Where Winthrop Town beats most towns.
Census counts: 544 in 1860, 19,316 in 2020. The archive holds 18 old photos and papers going back to 1871 and 7 maps from 1892 on.
5 places on the National Register of Historic Places.
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Massachusetts), ordered by how far Winthrop Town is from typical.
Its grades run from A+ for walkability (better than 99% of comparable towns) to D for cost of living (better than 6%), so the B+ overall blends very different results.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Winthrop Town. Close and well known come first.
Big draw7 mi Stadium & arenaFenway Park
Big draw8 mi MuseumIsabella Stewart Gardner Museum
Big draw26 mi Stadium & arenaGillette Stadium
5 mi AttractionFreedom Trail
5 mi MuseumBunker Hill Monument
5 mi GardenBoston CommonFenway Park: Gatorfan252525, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum: Sean Dungan, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Gillette Stadium: Bernard Gagnon, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Freedom Trail: Ingfbruno, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Bunker Hill Monument: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Boston Common: Phillip Capper from Wellington, New Zealand, CC BY 2.0
Who provides power, water and the rest in Winthrop Town, 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 Winthrop Town.
Winthrop Town is safe by national standards but not by Massachusetts’s and is healthy by national standards but mid-pack in Massachusetts.
Within Massachusetts it is healthier than 58% of the 279 graded towns: Massachusetts sets a high bar.
20% of Winthrop Town adults binge drink, against 17% in Massachusetts’ towns and 16% across U.S. towns. 23% of Winthrop Town adults have obesity. Winthrop Town beats the Massachusetts average on 2 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 2.
| Winthrop Town | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Binge drink (CDC PLACES) | 20% | 17% | 16% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 23% | 28% | 35% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 33% | 36% |
| High blood pressure (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 32% | 35% |
| What stands out | Winthrop Town | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 10.1% | 12.4% |
| Fewer adults with obesity | 22.9% | 27.7% |
| More binge drinkers | 20.4% | 17% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its public schools are run by the Winthrop school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Winthrop High School, with 568 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| William P. Gorman/Fort Banks ElementaryLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–2 | Grades PK–2 | 487 | – |
| Winthrop High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 568 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within MA on state tests and graduation
Most working residents leave Winthrop Town for work: only 10% work in town. The average trip to work in Winthrop Town is 35 minutes. Jobs based in Winthrop Town grew to 3,147 in 2023, 585 more than in 2013.
| Winthrop Town | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 35 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $116,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Work from home | 18% | 18% | 11% |
| Below the poverty line | 7.2% | 6% | 9.6% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
Expected storm and flood damage is lower than in 76% of U.S. communities. Since 1978, 1,045 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Winthrop Town.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 12.3 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, it reports more crime than 52% of Massachusetts’s graded towns. Reported crimes fell from 168 to 129 over the last three FBI years, a drop beyond ordinary year-to-year swings.
FBI crime data, 2025 · crimes reported to police
Winthrop Town has chilly, snowy winters and pleasant summers, with plenty of rain. Winthrop Town’s July high is 82°F.
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Adults 18 to 34 are 17% of residents (24% statewide); adults 35 to 64 are 44% of residents (39% statewide). 46% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Winthrop Town. Winthrop Town has lost 3.5% of its people since 2020, down to 18,647 in the Census Bureau’s 2025 estimate.
| Winthrop Town | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor’s degree or more, 25+ | 46% | 47% | 29% |
| Under 18 | 20% | 20% | 22% |
| Median age | 43 years | 43.4 years | 40.5 years |
55% women, 45% men
About 82 men for every 100 women (the survey’s margin: ±2 points). Across Massachusetts, 51.1% of residents are women.
| Winthrop Town | MA | U.S. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 10 | 10.3% | 10.2% | 11.6% |
| 10 to 17 | 9.4% | 9.2% | 10.3% |
| 18 to 24 | 5.8% | 9.8% | 9.1% |
| 25 to 34 | 11.5% | 14% | 13.7% |
| 35 to 44 | 15.3% | 13% | 13.2% |
| 45 to 54 | 15.4% | 12.3% | 12.2% |
| 55 to 64 | 12.9% | 13.6% | 12.7% |
| 65 to 74 | 10.1% | 10.5% | 10.2% |
| 75 and older | 9.2% | 7.4% | 7% |
| No diploma | 6.4% | 8.6% | 10.4% |
| High school | 24.3% | 22.6% | 26% |
| Some college | 17.2% | 14.1% | 19.1% |
| Associate’s | 6.5% | 7.5% | 8.8% |
| Bachelor’s | 28.5% | 25.5% | 21.6% |
| Graduate | 17% | 21.8% | 14.1% |
Census population estimates, 2025 · U.S. Census Bureau · ACS 2020-2024 5-year estimates
6.3 miles of trail in 10 parks and preserves. Only 7 of the 283 Massachusetts towns we compare have a lower share of conserved land than Winthrop Town. The biggest park or preserve is Belle Isle Marsh Reservation, at 47 acres.
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Belle Isle Marsh Reservation | 0.7 mi | 47 |
| 2. Ingleside Park | 0.7 mi | 8 |
| 3. Coughlin Playground | 0.4 mi | 12 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
The typical Winthrop Town home is worth about $677,000, up 0.5% in a year, close to the Massachusetts typical home.
| Winthrop Town | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 57% | 79% | 73% |
| Median rent | $2,064 a month | $1,682 a month | $1,185 a month |
Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
48 within 15 miles of the center of Winthrop Town
About 6 of every 100 Winthrop Town residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Coastal flooding makes up 21% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
5 places in Winthrop Town on the National Register of Historic Places.
28 notable people were born in Winthrop Town.
City in Massachusetts, United States
Winthrop is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 19,316 at the 2020 census. Winthrop is an ocean-side suburban town in Greater Boston situated at the north entrance to the Boston Harbor, geographically nearby to the Logan International Airport. It is located on a peninsula, 1.6 square miles (4.2 km2) in area, connected to the city of Revere, Massachusetts by a narrow isthmus and to multiple portions of Boston by a bridge over the harbor inlet to the Belle Isle Marsh Reservation in the neighborhood of East Boston, a shared line at the Boston Logan International Airport, and at Deer Island. Settled in 1630, Winthrop is one of the oldest communities in the…
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
3 towns share a border with Winthrop Town.
| Town | MA rank | Overall | Cost | Safety | Schools | Health |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winthrop Town | #135 | B+ | D | B+ | C+ | A |
| Boston | #252 | C− | D | D | C− | A− |
| Revere | #255 | C− | D | C | C− | B |
| Nahant | #81 | A | D | A− | B+ | A |
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
For most people who can afford it, yes. Winthrop Town grades B+ overall, better than 67% of U.S. towns and #135 of 282 in Massachusetts. It grades A for health, B+ 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.
28 notable people were born here, including Benjamin Lee Whorf and Steven Van Zandt.
