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By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
Among the 80 largest places in Massachusetts, Wellesley has the largest share of adults with a bachelor's degree (89.0%), followed by Brookline and Lexington. Click any column to sort; click a city for its guide.
Across the 80 places in Massachusetts that we cover, the median is 45.1% and the average 46.6%; the figure runs from 89.0% (Wellesley) to 16.4% (Fall River). That is a spread of 5.4 times between the two ends. The state figure is 47.3%; 36 of the 80 places are above it and 44 at or below.
The first five are Wellesley, Brookline, Lexington, Needham, Newton. A high or low position is not good or bad on its own: read it together with the other measures on the city pages. Use the Compare tab on each city page to see how two places differ across income, rent, commute and education, and check the county page for the local job market.
| # ⇅ | City ⇅ | County ⇅ | Bachelor's degree or higher ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Wellesley (unincorporated) | Norfolk County | 89.0% | 30,347 | $250,001 | $2,886 |
| 2 | Brookline (unincorporated) | Norfolk County | 85.4% | 63,266 | $142,101 | $2,835 |
| 3 | Lexington (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 84.3% | 34,295 | $238,444 | $2,891 |
| 4 | Needham (unincorporated) | Norfolk County | 81.9% | 32,459 | $214,308 | $2,409 |
| 5 | Newton | Middlesex County | 81.1% | 89,044 | $190,304 | $2,370 |
| 6 | Belmont (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 80.9% | 27,175 | $183,137 | $2,527 |
| 7 | Cambridge | Middlesex County | 80.8% | 118,796 | $130,748 | $2,787 |
| 8 | Winchester (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 79.5% | 23,406 | $230,198 | $2,279 |
| 9 | Marblehead (unincorporated) | Essex County | 78.3% | 20,413 | $182,132 | $1,764 |
| 10 | Arlington (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 76.1% | 46,350 | $150,701 | $2,082 |
| 11 | Amherst Town | Hampshire County | 75.6% | 38,182 | $66,968 | $1,671 |
| 12 | Milton (unincorporated) | Norfolk County | 72.0% | 28,587 | $188,529 | $1,474 |
| 13 | Somerville | Middlesex County | 69.4% | 81,036 | $132,572 | $2,517 |
| 14 | Longmeadow (unincorporated) | Hampden County | 67.1% | 15,696 | $149,601 | $1,682 |
| 15 | Newburyport | Essex County | 67.0% | 18,652 | $139,625 | $1,592 |
| 16 | Reading (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 66.3% | 25,612 | $165,912 | $1,991 |
| 17 | Lynnfield (unincorporated) | Essex County | 62.7% | 13,064 | $175,265 | $2,676 |
| 18 | Northampton | Hampshire County | 62.7% | 30,962 | $80,288 | $1,439 |
| 19 | Swampscott (unincorporated) | Essex County | 62.2% | 15,277 | $134,386 | $2,303 |
| 20 | Melrose | Middlesex County | 62.0% | 29,650 | $133,953 | $1,970 |
| 21 | Medford | Middlesex County | 59.8% | 59,354 | $129,540 | $2,509 |
| 22 | Wakefield (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 59.7% | 27,793 | $134,306 | $1,958 |
| 23 | Burlington (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 58.4% | 26,274 | $146,436 | $2,718 |
| 24 | Franklin Town | Norfolk County | 58.1% | 33,154 | $145,773 | $1,899 |
| 25 | Waltham | Middlesex County | 57.3% | 64,902 | $120,216 | $2,268 |
| 26 | Stoneham (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 55.9% | 23,355 | $113,964 | $2,035 |
| 27 | Norwood (unincorporated) | Norfolk County | 55.4% | 31,542 | $107,030 | $2,116 |
| 28 | Dedham (unincorporated) | Norfolk County | 55.0% | 25,237 | $128,955 | $2,042 |
| 29 | Boston | Suffolk County | 54.9% | 666,442 | $97,344 | $2,147 |
| 30 | Beverly | Essex County | 53.4% | 42,665 | $106,044 | $1,771 |
| 31 | Wilmington (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 50.4% | 23,336 | $168,152 | $2,394 |
| 32 | Quincy | Norfolk County | 50.3% | 102,114 | $98,882 | $2,118 |
| 33 | Framingham | Middlesex County | 48.7% | 72,399 | $107,419 | $2,033 |
| 34 | Danvers (unincorporated) | Essex County | 48.4% | 28,098 | $125,395 | $2,076 |
| 35 | Salem | Essex County | 47.8% | 44,795 | $85,153 | $1,836 |
| 36 | Braintree Town | Norfolk County | 47.5% | 38,899 | $122,214 | $2,024 |
| 37 | Woburn | Middlesex County | 46.5% | 41,939 | $111,185 | $2,221 |
| 38 | North Attleborough Town | Bristol County | 46.4% | 30,984 | $112,665 | $1,509 |
| 39 | Winthrop Town | Suffolk County | 45.5% | 18,759 | $116,167 | $2,064 |
| 40 | Malden | Middlesex County | 45.1% | 65,906 | $100,606 | $2,204 |
| 41 | Hudson (unincorporated) | Middlesex County | 43.5% | 15,719 | $90,524 | $1,397 |
| 42 | Weymouth Town | Norfolk County | 42.8% | 58,505 | $102,714 | $1,941 |
| 43 | Barnstable Town | Barnstable County | 42.1% | 49,568 | $91,982 | $1,917 |
| 44 | Marlborough | Middlesex County | 40.5% | 41,647 | $91,968 | $1,871 |
| 45 | Gloucester | Essex County | 40.3% | 30,075 | $83,883 | $1,411 |
| 46 | Abington (unincorporated) | Plymouth County | 40.0% | 17,053 | $125,400 | $1,724 |
| 47 | Bridgewater Town | Plymouth County | 39.5% | 28,471 | $112,651 | $2,092 |
| 48 | Greenfield | Franklin County | 39.1% | 17,664 | $55,614 | $1,107 |
| 49 | Somerset (unincorporated) | Bristol County | 37.6% | 18,298 | $112,677 | $1,271 |
| 50 | Randolph Town | Norfolk County | 35.5% | 34,878 | $109,573 | $2,103 |
| 51 | Worcester | Worcester County | 35.2% | 207,055 | $70,102 | $1,487 |
| 52 | Peabody | Essex County | 35.0% | 54,695 | $96,657 | $1,950 |
| 53 | Pittsfield | Berkshire County | 34.2% | 43,457 | $70,582 | $1,134 |
| 54 | Attleboro | Bristol County | 34.0% | 46,762 | $98,954 | $1,590 |
| 55 | West Springfield Town | Hampden County | 34.0% | 28,772 | $69,371 | $1,144 |
| 56 | Agawam Town | Hampden County | 34.0% | 28,539 | $85,421 | $1,256 |
| 57 | Leominster | Worcester County | 33.5% | 43,909 | $83,816 | $1,354 |
| 58 | Westfield | Hampden County | 33.2% | 40,378 | $87,753 | $1,117 |
| 59 | Milford (unincorporated) | Worcester County | 32.6% | 27,731 | $93,310 | $1,889 |
| 60 | Haverhill | Essex County | 32.6% | 67,698 | $88,326 | $1,668 |
| 61 | Saugus (unincorporated) | Essex County | 31.4% | 28,773 | $101,539 | $2,241 |
| 62 | Lowell | Middlesex County | 30.0% | 118,368 | $78,658 | $1,625 |
| 63 | North Adams | Berkshire County | 28.4% | 12,606 | $47,500 | $793 |
| 64 | Holyoke | Hampden County | 25.9% | 37,813 | $53,605 | $1,021 |
| 65 | Fitchburg | Worcester County | 25.1% | 41,798 | $73,040 | $1,222 |
| 66 | Everett | Middlesex County | 24.9% | 50,045 | $85,218 | $2,076 |
| 67 | Revere | Suffolk County | 24.6% | 60,012 | $86,969 | $2,076 |
| 68 | Lynn | Essex County | 24.1% | 101,709 | $75,043 | $1,722 |
| 69 | Taunton | Bristol County | 23.9% | 60,433 | $79,283 | $1,324 |
| 70 | Gardner | Worcester County | 23.8% | 21,148 | $67,518 | $1,109 |
| 71 | Palmer Town | Hampden County | 23.5% | 12,381 | $78,480 | $1,075 |
| 72 | Chicopee | Hampden County | 22.9% | 55,295 | $62,615 | $1,157 |
| 73 | Brockton | Plymouth County | 22.3% | 105,386 | $80,115 | $1,641 |
| 74 | Chelsea | Suffolk County | 22.2% | 39,908 | $72,179 | $1,956 |
| 75 | Springfield | Hampden County | 20.5% | 154,749 | $52,656 | $1,144 |
| 76 | Southbridge Town | Worcester County | 19.4% | 17,928 | $66,287 | $1,256 |
| 77 | Webster (unincorporated) | Worcester County | 18.8% | 12,228 | $63,837 | $1,198 |
| 78 | New Bedford | Bristol County | 17.0% | 100,998 | $56,981 | $1,137 |
| 79 | Lawrence | Essex County | 16.8% | 88,736 | $60,433 | $1,662 |
| 80 | Fall River | Bristol County | 16.4% | 94,082 | $56,673 | $1,155 |
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Unincorporated places are census-designated places: they have no city government but are counted as communities. Figures describe the city itself.
Wellesley, with 89.0% (among the 80 largest places; ACS 2020–2024).
The 80 largest places in Massachusetts by population.