Norfolk ranks #12 in Massachusetts for staying active
Norfolk is ranked on 36 lists against the 284 Massachusetts towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 10.
More homes per newcomer than 98% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Norfolk’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Norfolk does best on
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Norfolk marked.
2 spots from the top 10 for staying active
Lists where Norfolk sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Norfolk lands in the top half on 13 of 22 lists
Each dot is Norfolk’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Norfolk does best come first.
Norfolk out-ranks 1 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 Norfolk 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.
Health
D Healthiest#1 Dover · 100 / 100 #40
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#41
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#53
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#12
Fewest uninsured#1 Manchester-by-the-Sea · 2%
#116
Lowest depression#1 Lexington · 20%
#14
Closest to a top hospital#1 Milford · 0.0 mi
#152 Safety
Safest#1 Groveland · 0.6
#14 
Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Edgartown · 62.9%
#90
Most new homes#1 Nantucket · 17.4 per 1,000
#57
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Orange · +69.9%
#201
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Malden · 83.1 per home
#199 People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#69
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#85
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#203
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#269
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#33 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#187
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#168
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#148 
Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#212
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#210
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#243
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#264 
The number on the right is Norfolk’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.