The 10 Worst Small Towns In Massachusetts For 2023


We used Saturday Night Science to determine the worst small towns in Massachusetts.

By: Nick Johnson | About HomeSnacks
Last Updated: October 14, 2023

Most Americans have never been to small town Massachusetts. However, as the Bay Stater who live there know, small town Massachusetts is an awesome place to call home.

But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Massachusetts has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using Saturday Night Science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Bay State. Don’t freak out, we will use data to show which places have high crime, poverty, and unemployment.

After analyzing more than 102 of Massachusetts’s smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Massachusetts where you’d never want to live:

So what is the worst small town to call home in Massachusetts for 2023? According to the most recent census data, Monson Center is the worst small town to live in Massachusetts.

While many of these small towns have seen better days, they have wonderful communities and people. This report in no way means to knock the folks that call towns like Monson Center home. Everyone

Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.

And if you already know about the small towns, check out the best places to live in Massachusetts or the worst places to live in Massachusetts.

If you’re looking for something more national, check out the worst cities in America or the worst states in America.

Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table

The 10 Worst Small Towns In Massachusetts For 2023

1. Monson Center

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,616
Median Home Value: $235,600 (9th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 17.5% (3rd worst)

2. Orange

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 3,727
Median Home Value: $171,100 (2nd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 13.1% (6th worst)

3. Millers Falls

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 1,031
Median Home Value: $190,000 (3rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (28th worst)

4. West Brookfield

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,646
Median Home Value: $207,300 (5th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 10.7% (13th worst)

5. Onset

Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 1,138
Median Home Value: $329,200 (33rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 22.1% (worst)

6. Shelburne Falls

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,684
Median Home Value: $236,100 (10th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.1% (27th worst)

7. Dennis Port

Dennis Port, MA

Source: Public domain
Overall SnackAbility

6
/10

Population: 3,440
Median Home Value: $356,500 (43rd worst)
Unemployment Rate: 7.2% (26th worst)

8. Baldwinville

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,148
Median Home Value: $262,300 (14th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 21.6% (2nd worst)

9. West Wareham

Overall SnackAbility

4
/10

Population: 2,313
Median Home Value: $167,900 (worst)
Unemployment Rate: 2.5% (73rd worst)

10. Townsend

Overall SnackAbility

5
/10

Population: 1,084
Median Home Value: $267,000 (17th worst)
Unemployment Rate: 2.4% (75th worst)

Methodology: How do you decide if a small place in Massachusetts is lousy or not?

To rank the worst small towns to live in Massachusetts, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. Assuming that people like low crime, solid education, things to do, and a stable economy isn’t a stretch.

We then analyzed the criteria using Saturday Night Science, the thinking you’d use at a bar. It seems like even your crazy Uncle would agree that a town with high crime is worse than a town with low crime; all else the same.

Using FBI crime data and the Census’s 2017-2021 American Community Survey, this is the criteria we used:

  • Population Density (The lower, the worse)
  • Highest Unemployment Rates
  • Low housing costs (meaning there’s no demand)
  • Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
  • Education (Number of high school dropouts)
  • High Crime

We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which there were many – 102 to be exact.

We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets them from the cities. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.

We base all our research on facts, which is meant as infotainment. We updated this article for 2023, which is our tenth time ranking the worst small places to live in Massachusetts.

There You Have It – The Worst Small Towns In Massachusetts

If you’re analyzing teeny places in the Bay State with the worst economic situations, where there’s high crime and there’s not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.

If you’re curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Massachusetts, according to science:

  1. Rowley (Pop. 1,509)
  2. Cordaville (Pop. 2,776)
  3. Hanscom AFB (Pop. 1,917)

For more Massachusetts reading, check out:

Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Massachusetts

Rank Town Population Unemployment Rate Home Value
1 Monson Center 1,616 17.5% $235,600
2 Orange 3,727 13.1% $171,100
3 Millers Falls 1,031 7.1% $190,000
4 West Brookfield 1,646 10.7% $207,300
5 Onset 1,138 22.1% $329,200
6 Shelburne Falls 1,684 7.1% $236,100
7 Dennis Port 3,440 7.2% $356,500
8 Baldwinville 2,148 21.6% $262,300
9 West Wareham 2,313 2.5% $167,900
10 Townsend 1,084 2.4% $267,000
11 North Plymouth 4,246 12.5% $357,600
12 Lenox 2,109 8.6% $295,200
13 Winchendon 4,463 5.2% $206,100
14 Holland 1,436 3.1% $253,200
15 Wareham Center 3,057 5.2% $348,500
16 Ocean Grove 2,604 8.6% $230,500
17 Turners Falls 4,049 4.7% $217,500
18 North Westport 4,835 1.7% $303,100
19 Northwest Harwich 4,256 7.8% $472,000
20 Smith Mills 4,846 1.2% $313,400
21 White Island Shores 2,522 7.7% $307,100
22 Pepperell 2,288 7.8% $315,400
23 North Eastham 1,871 12.2% $541,500
24 Groton 1,295 6.7% $465,400
25 Acushnet Center 3,351 6.8% $262,200
26 South Lancaster 1,620 15.0% $341,600
27 Fiskdale 3,166 8.4% $290,700
28 Norton Center 2,627 6.0% $368,300
29 Dennis 1,990 6.9% $569,300
30 Great Barrington 2,017 1.7% $390,100
31 North Lakeville 3,343 2.7% $372,200
32 East Brookfield 1,239 3.5% $278,500
33 Belchertown 2,557 3.7% $262,900
34 Wilbraham 3,675 1.9% $320,500
35 West Chatham 1,490 6.6% $712,000
36 West Dennis 2,703 2.1% $416,800
37 Brewster 1,410 10.8% $485,800
38 Provincetown 3,273 10.6% $690,100
39 Hopedale 3,814 7.5% $348,200
40 Devens 2,071 1.2% $346,500
41 Falmouth 3,895 2.3% $596,900
42 Vineyard Haven 2,258 2.9% $681,100
43 Woods Hole 1,127 11.2% $707,300
44 Harwich Center 1,435 9.1% $458,100
45 East Dennis 3,272 4.3% $557,900
46 South Dennis 3,259 2.1% $349,100
47 North Brookfield 2,429 1.3% $221,700
48 Orleans 1,472 0.0% $394,100
49 Rutland 1,546 5.9% $277,200
50 Lunenburg 1,686 5.1% $295,600
51 Weweantic 1,374 13.9% $319,900
52 Pocasset 2,660 1.8% $441,800
53 Lee 1,547 3.5% $241,600
54 Buzzards Bay 3,206 1.3% $345,900
55 Littleton Common 3,036 9.1% $428,700
56 South Deerfield 2,244 2.7% $397,700
57 Granby 1,136 4.2% $265,700
58 Upton 2,354 12.8% $431,300
59 Bellingham 4,212 4.6% $317,000
60 Marion Center 1,095 8.8% $556,200
61 Marshfield 4,901 2.6% $477,300
62 Ayer 3,078 1.2% $320,200
63 East Sandwich 3,765 5.4% $493,600
64 Forestdale 3,713 3.4% $393,900
65 East Pepperell 1,896 3.1% $333,900
66 Bourne 1,390 8.4% $422,700
67 Chatham 1,559 4.0% $1,145,200
68 Shirley 1,707 5.7% $273,800
69 Ocean Bluff-Brant Rock 4,503 7.0% $390,400
70 Harwich Port 2,119 1.5% $605,800
71 Marshfield Hills 2,244 0.0% $609,800
72 Mashpee Neck 1,405 5.2% $427,400
73 Sandwich 2,873 5.5% $424,500
74 East Douglas 2,846 1.4% $311,200
75 Ipswich 4,659 4.2% $463,600
76 Westborough 4,364 2.5% $435,800
77 Rockport 4,889 7.0% $576,700
78 Sturbridge 2,217 0.0% $336,300
79 Hatfield 1,264 1.1% $369,800
80 Essex 1,688 2.3% $594,800
81 Topsfield 2,654 6.4% $648,200
82 Millis-Clicquot 4,653 3.0% $418,200
83 Dover 2,413 12.7% $1,020,700
84 Duxbury 1,587 5.5% $1,083,100
85 North Seekonk 2,191 5.4% $351,500
86 Teaticket 1,522 3.3% $391,600
87 Sagamore 4,229 2.7% $432,900
88 Williamstown 4,565 0.7% $371,400
89 Monument Beach 3,187 0.8% $415,200
90 Mattapoisett Center 3,282 1.3% $495,000
91 North Pembroke 4,133 2.4% $420,500
92 Hopkinton 3,567 6.2% $577,600
93 Boxford 3,020 4.6% $723,900
94 West Falmouth 2,251 6.1% $622,900
95 North Falmouth 2,375 4.3% $587,800
96 Nahant 3,354 3.9% $601,900
97 Hanson 1,860 3.6% $370,000
98 The Pinehills 4,724 0.7% $590,100
99 South Duxbury 3,381 3.1% $857,500
100 Rowley 1,509 1.2% $478,900
About Nick Johnson

Nick Johnson earned his masters in Business Administration from the Drucker School At Claremont Graduate University. He has written for 39 publications across the country and ran the media relations department at Movoto, a real estate portal based in San Francisco. He has been featured in over 500 publications as an expert in real estate and as an authority on real estate trends.

Nick's the creator of the HomeSnacks YouTube channel that now has over 260,000 subscribers and is an excellent source to learn about different parts of the country.

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