Woods Hole, Mass, c. 1863
Woods Hole’s story
200 years in pictures
The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1863 and 8 maps from 1886 on.
- 1826Woods Hole is settled
Woods HoleMA
Population
988
Census survey, 2020–24
Median home value
$878K
Census ACS
Household income
$72K
median
Median age
66.0
years
Jobs based here
1,825
A job hub
Is Woods Hole a good place to live?
80% of adults 25 and older hold a bachelor’s degree or more in Woods Hole, above both the Massachusetts town median (47%) and the median of U.S. towns (29%). No town among the 284 in Massachusetts we compare has a higher midpoint age than Woods Hole. Woods Hole’s concentration of trails is 2.2 miles per square mile, against 1.8 in Massachusetts’ towns and 0.4 across U.S. towns. Woods Hole has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What makes Woods Hole stand out
Where Woods Hole beats most towns.
By the sea
Woods Hole lives by the ocean
Coastal flooding makes up 15% of the storm damage FEMA expects here.
15%of expected storm damage is coastal flooding
98thpercentile for coastal flood risk nationally
86thpercentile for hurricane risk
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA · OpenStreetMap
Nearby attractions
All 119 attractions →The Breakers and 73 more within 40 miles
Museums, parks, gardens and other places to visit around Woods Hole. Close and well known come first.
Big draw33 mi MuseumThe Breakers
28 mi MuseumUSS Massachusetts
36 mi Ancient siteHMS Endeavour
33 mi MuseumMarble House
33 mi MuseumThe Elms
37 mi Ancient siteSS PendletonSources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons
Photo credits
The Breakers: UpstateNYer, 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 · SS Pendleton: United States Coast Guard, Richard C. Kelsey, Public domain
_underway_c1944.jpg){kind=link}
Getting set up
Moving to Woods Hole: who provides what
Woods Hole is unincorporated, so Barnstable County and regional agencies provide most services.
PowerEversource21.5¢/kWh · EIA 2025HIFLD · EIA
WaterFalmouth Water DeptNo health-based violations in 5 years · EPAEPA
Internet4 providers100% of addresses get 100/20 MbpsFCC
Trash & county servicesBarnstable CountyBarnstable County provides services here
Register to voteOnlineIn Massachusetts you can register online until 10 days before Election Day, in person until 10 days before Election Day, or by mail (postmarked 10 days before).vote.govWho runs elections hereFalmouth Town ClerkTown of Falmouth; contacts on the Handbook page.FVAP, Jun 2023
ZIP codes02543, 0254002543 87% · 02540 13%Census 2020
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Nov 18, 2024.
The data
Ordered by what stands out in Woods Hole.
Work & commute
About half of Woods Hole’s working residents commute to Falmouth
For Woods Hole, the typical journey to work is 22 minutes. Only 14% of working residents stay in Woods Hole for work; the rest commute out. Since 2013, Woods Hole has lost 293 jobs, to 1,825 in 2023. The top destinations are Falmouth (46%), Boston (5%) and Barnstable Town (4%).
14%work in town
| Woods Hole | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 22 minutes | 30 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Median household income | $72,000 | $120,000 | $80,000 |
| Working residents who work in town | 14% | 9.8% | 8% |
| Below the poverty line | 5.4% | 6% | 9.6% |
Where working residents work
In Woods Hole14%
Falmouth46%
Boston5%
Barnstable Town4%
Plymouth3%
10 mi
median commute distance
1,825
jobs based in Woods Hole
A job hub
jobs vs. working residents
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
25″snow a winter
Typical low → high °F
Winter26–42°
Spring39–56°
Summer62–78°
Fall47–63°
Nov 11
typical first frost
Apr 11
typical last frost
+2.0°
vs. the 20th-century average
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
Natural hazards
Natural hazards: low risk in Woods Hole, mostly inland flooding
Storm and flood damage is expected to run lower than in two thirds of U.S. communities. Of the losses FEMA expects in Woods Hole, 49% come from inland flooding and 30% from hurricanes.
33risk score of 100
FEMA risk score
Inland floodingHurricanesCoastal flooding
FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
Outdoors
9.6% of the land in Woods Hole is protected from building
Across 2 parks and preserves: 8.5 miles of trail.
9.6%conserved
9.6%
conserved · 240 of 2,503 acres
8.5 mi
of trails · 2.2 per sq mi
| Biggest places to walk | Trails | Acres |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Taft's Playground | 0.1 mi | 10 |
| 2. WHOI - Rose Garden | 0.1 mi | 1 |
Trails & parks © OpenStreetMap contributors · Conserved land: USGS PAD-US
Health
How healthy Woods Hole is
Among adults in Woods Hole, 13% report frequent mental distress. Against the Massachusetts average, Woods Hole comes out ahead on 18 CDC measures out of 32, and behind on 3. Two figures for adults in the town: 28% sleep under 7 hours, 24% have obesity.
| Woods Hole | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Frequent mental distress (CDC PLACES) | 13% | 16% | 17% |
| Sleep under 7 hours (CDC PLACES) | 28% | 33% | 36% |
| Obesity (CDC PLACES) | 24% | 28% | 35% |
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 7.6% | 11% | 14% |
32 measures vs. Massachusetts
18 better11 too close to call3 worse
| What stands out | Woods Hole | MA |
|---|---|---|
| Fewer older adults who have lost all their teeth | 5.4% | 11.9% |
| Fewer adults facing food insecurity | 5.9% | 12.4% |
| More adults who have had cancer | 12.8% | 8.5% |
Falmouth Hospital
3.4 mi away · emergency room
None
primary care, dental or mental-health shortage
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Housing
The median home in Woods Hole sells for about $2.66M
For households here, the share who are owner-occupiers is 73%. Woods Hole’s going rate for rent is $1,311 a month.
$2.66Mmedian sale price
| Woods Hole | Massachusetts towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,311 a month | $1,683 a month | $1,185 a month |
| Households that own their home | 73% | 79% | 73% |
1
homes sold in September
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Keep exploring
Everything we know about Woods Hole
17pages on Woods Hole
The big questions
Out and about
Day to day
After high school
Colleges nearby
1 within 15 miles of the center of Woods Hole
About 14 of every 100 Woods Hole residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.
Small town
988 people, and everyone knows the way
In a town this size, neighbors are the best guide. Ask them anything.
Nearby towns
FalmouthGosnoldWoods Hole
About Woods Hole
Census-designated place in Massachusetts, United States
Woods Hole is a census-designated place in the town of Falmouth in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. It lies at the extreme southwestern corner of Cape Cod, near Martha's Vineyard and the Elizabeth Islands. As of the 2020 census, Woods Hole had a population of 834. It is the site of several marine science institutions, including Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, the Marine Biological Laboratory, the Woodwell Climate Research Center, NOAA's Northeast Fisheries Science Center (which started the Woods Hole scientific community in 1871), the Woods Hole Science Aquarium, a USGS coastal and marine geology center, and the home campus of the Sea Education Association. Woods Hole …
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
- Area
- 3.9 sq mi
- Elevation
- 20 ft
- Area code
- 508
Questions about Woods Hole
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Is Woods Hole, MA a good place to live?
Woods Hole has fewer than 1,000 residents, too few for fair grades; the figures below are still real.
What is Woods Hole, MA known for?
2 notable people were born here, including Nancy Kanwisher and Ian Bowles.