Williamstown ranks #5 in Massachusetts for short commutes
Williamstown is ranked on 36 lists against the 284 Massachusetts towns with 2,500+ residents. It makes the top 10 on 1 and the top quarter on 11.
Drier than 100% of Massachusetts
Not better or worse, just Williamstown’s character, from the lists where neither end is the “good” one. The most distinctive come first.
The lists Williamstown does best on
Each list ranks every MA town with 2,500+ residents. Tap one to see the whole list with Williamstown marked.
Williamstown lands in the top half on 19 of 25 lists
Each dot is Williamstown’s spot on one list: the left end is #1 in MA, the right end is last. Areas where Williamstown does best come first.
2 spots from the top 3 for short commutes
Lists where Williamstown sits just outside a milestone, and what it would take to get in.
Williamstown out-ranks every neighbor it can be compared with
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.
Every MA list, and where Williamstown lands
41 lists from Census, school, health, library, crime, climate and land data. Tap any list to see every town on it.
Getting around
Shortest commute#1 Edgartown · 11.5 min
#5 
People
Most educated#1 Wellesley · 89%
#37
Youngest#1 Amherst Town · 21.4
#24
Oldest#1 Orleans · 64.7
#262
Most residents 65+#1 Orleans · 49.3%
#54
Most kids#1 Hopkinton · 29.5%
#238 Health
D Healthiest#1 Dover · 100 / 100 #101
Lowest obesity#1 Amherst Town · 19%
#84
Fewest smokers#1 Lexington · 6%
#32
D
Most active#1 Dover · 12%
#56
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
#236 Libraries
Most-used libraries#1 Provincetown · 27.5 per resident
#43
Most library borrowing#1 West Tisbury · 34.6 per resident
#54
Best libraries for kids#1 West Tisbury · 115.2 per child
#46 
Outdoors
Most conserved land#1 Provincetown · 68.4%
#32
Most trails#1 Stoneham · 5.9 mi / sq mi
#94
Most walkable#1 Somerville · 306 / sq mi
#271 Cost of living
Most affordable#1 North Adams · 1.9 yrs
#75
Cheapest rent#1 Plympton · $555/mo
#121
D
Lowest property tax#1 Dennis · $2,877/yr
#95
Rent easiest to afford#1 Uxbridge · 25.6%
The number on the right is Williamstown’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.