Berlin ranks #2 in Massachusetts for new homes
Berlin is ranked on 39 lists against the 284 Massachusetts towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 9.
A podium finish, and more
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Berlin marked.
More homes per newcomer than 100% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Berlin’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Berlin lands in the top half on 14 of 25 lists
Each dot is Berlin’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Berlin does best come first.
Berlin out-ranks 3 of its 6 ranked neighbors
Head to head on the lists where both towns are ranked: a point for each list where one town places higher. Tap a town for its own rankings.
Where Berlin lands in every MA ranking
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Edgartown · 62.9%
#281
Most new homes#1 Nantucket · 17.4 per 1,000
#2
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Orange · +69.9%
#11
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Malden · 83.1 per home
#203 Safety
Safest#1 Groveland · 0.6
#16 
Health
D Healthiest#1 Dover · 100 / 100 #105
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#190
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#91
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#108
Fewest uninsured#1 Manchester-by-the-Sea · 2%
#24
Lowest depression#1 Lexington · 20%
#149
Closest to a top hospital#1 Milford · 0.0 mi
#214 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#65
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#65
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#234 People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#135
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#244
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#43
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#18
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#261 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#176
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#257
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#195
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#230 
The number on the right is Berlin’s spot. All of Massachusetts’s rankings, with the map → · National lists and other states: all rankings.
Do the numbers ring true?
The lists count what can be counted. Neighbors know the rest.
Your answer becomes a post in Town Square.
- 2,500+ residents. Census estimates for smaller towns carry margins of error too wide to rank fairly, so they sit out every MA list.
- One town, one row. A city that is both a city and a town in Census data, or a village inside a town, is counted once.
- Ties share a rank. Towns on one weather station, one school district or one CDC estimate share a figure, so they share a spot (T).
- No “worst” lists. Lists rank toward the good end, and share cards are made only for the top half. Age, snow and the like are character, not grades.
U.S. Census Bureau (American Community Survey 5-year, 2010 and 2020 censuses, Building Permits Survey), U.S. Department of Education, FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, CDC PLACES, Medicare Care Compare, IMLS Public Libraries Survey, FHFA House Price Index, NOAA U.S. Climate Normals 1991–2020, USGS PAD-US and OpenStreetMap. Each list explains its own method.