Lowell ranks #10 in Massachusetts for walkable streets
Lowell 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 3.
Fewer seniors than 98% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Lowell’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Lowell does best on
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Lowell marked.
Lowell lands in the top half on 7 of 25 lists
Each dot is Lowell’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Lowell does best come first.
Lowell out-ranks 0 of its 4 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 Lowell 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.
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#70
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#132
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#48
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
#59 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#98 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#206
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#191
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#10 Health
D Healthiest#1 Dover · 100 / 100 #246
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#110
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#229
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#263
Fewest uninsured#1 Manchester-by-the-Sea · 2%
#266
Lowest depression#1 Lexington · 20%
#149
Closest to a top hospital#1 Milford · 0.0 mi
#162 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Edgartown · 62.9%
#161
Most new homes#1 Nantucket · 17.4 per 1,000
#216
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Orange · +69.9%
#81
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Malden · 83.1 per home
#14 
People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#247
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#14
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#271
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#277
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#85 
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Provincetown · 27.5 per resident
#239
Most library borrowing#1 West Tisbury · 34.6 per resident
#250
Best libraries for kids#1 West Tisbury · 115.2 per child
#250 Climate
Snowiest#1 Pittsfield · 77 in
#74
Least snow#1 Barnstable Town · 22 in
#190
Mildest winters#1 Nantucket · 25.9°
#199
Hottest summers#1 Westfield · 85.2°
#34
Coolest summers#1 Nantucket · 76.3°
#231
Longest growing season#1 Chatham · 221 days
#173
Wettest#1 Paxton · 51 in
#240 Safety
Safest#1 Groveland · 0.6
The number on the right is Lowell’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.