Northfield ranks #17 in Massachusetts for library borrowing
Northfield is ranked on 37 lists against the 284 Massachusetts towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 9.
The lists Northfield does best on
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Northfield marked.
Northfield lands in the top half on 11 of 23 lists
Each dot is Northfield’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Northfield does best come first.
Colder winters than 94% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Northfield’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
Where Northfield 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.
Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Provincetown · 27.5 per resident
#36
Most library borrowing#1 West Tisbury · 34.6 per resident
#17
Best libraries for kids#1 West Tisbury · 115.2 per child
#24 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#43
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#34
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#53
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
Safety
Safest#1 Groveland · 0.6
#44 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#58
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#118
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#276 Health
D Healthiest#1 Dover · 100 / 100 #152
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#66
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#166
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#153
Fewest uninsured#1 Manchester-by-the-Sea · 2%
#116
Lowest depression#1 Lexington · 20%
#149
Closest to a top hospital#1 Milford · 0.0 mi
#256 Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#172 People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#175
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#236
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#51
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#41
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#246 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Edgartown · 62.9%
#85
Most new homes#1 Nantucket · 17.4 per 1,000
#209
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Orange · +69.9%
#117
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Malden · 83.1 per home
The number on the right is Northfield’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.