Norwell ranks #17 in Massachusetts for graduation rate
Norwell is ranked on 38 lists against the 284 Massachusetts towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 0 and the top quarter on 11.
More kids than 99% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Norwell’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Norwell does best on
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Norwell marked.
Norwell lands in the top half on 16 of 24 lists
Each dot is Norwell’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Norwell does best come first.
4 spots from the top 25 for household income
Lists where Norwell sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Norwell out-ranks 5 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 Norwell 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 #57
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#84
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#53
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#30
Fewest uninsured#1 Manchester-by-the-Sea · 2%
#24
Lowest depression#1 Lexington · 20%
#48
Closest to a top hospital#1 Milford · 0.0 mi
#218 People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#43
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#39
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#246
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#225
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#4 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Provincetown · 27.5 per resident
#37
Most library borrowing#1 West Tisbury · 34.6 per resident
#47
Best libraries for kids#1 West Tisbury · 115.2 per child
#66 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#201
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#120
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#178 Housing
Vacation-home towns#1 Edgartown · 62.9%
#244
Most new homes#1 Nantucket · 17.4 per 1,000
#181
Fastest-rising home prices#1 Orange · +69.9%
#52
Housing hasn't kept up#1 Malden · 83.1 per home
#62 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#245
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#238
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#269
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#251 Climate
Snowiest#1 Pittsfield · 77 in
#131
Least snow#1 Barnstable Town · 22 in
#142
Mildest winters#1 Nantucket · 25.9°
#46
Hottest summers#1 Westfield · 85.2°
#143
Coolest summers#1 Nantucket · 76.3°
#136
Longest growing season#1 Chatham · 221 days
#85
Wettest#1 Paxton · 51 in
#4 Safety
Safest#1 Groveland · 0.6
The number on the right is Norwell’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.