Salem ranks #7 in Massachusetts for a top hospital nearby
Salem is ranked on 40 lists against the 284 Massachusetts towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 2.
Fewer homes per newcomer than 95% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Salem’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Salem does best on
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Salem marked.
Salem lands in the top half on 9 of 26 lists
Each dot is Salem’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Salem does best come first.
4 spots from the top 3 for a top hospital nearby
Lists where Salem sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Salem out-ranks 1 of its 5 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 Salem 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 #177
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#190
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#129
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#204
Fewest uninsured#1 Manchester-by-the-Sea · 2%
#243
Lowest depression#1 Lexington · 20%
#103
Closest to a top hospital#1 Milford · 0.0 mi
#7 
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#106 Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#229
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#175
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#52 People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#137
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#42
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#243
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#202
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#233 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#143
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#175
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#140
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
#77 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Provincetown · 27.5 per resident
#203
Most library borrowing#1 West Tisbury · 34.6 per resident
#144
Best libraries for kids#1 West Tisbury · 115.2 per child
#141 
The number on the right is Salem’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.