Bay State Atlas ← All 194 towns
Town comparison · Massachusetts

Carlisle vs Concord

MetroWest · MetroWest
Concord leads 4–2 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Concord edges Carlisle 4 to 2. Median homes in Carlisle run roughly $167k cheaper than in Concord, about 11% less. Concord is about 5 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak.

The two towns at a glance

Carlisle

MetroWest · pop. 5,237
Carlisle is one of the wealthiest and least dense towns in Massachusetts, no town center, no sidewalks, just conservation land, horse farms, and high-income families.
58
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Carlisle profile →

Concord

MetroWest · pop. 18,491
Walden Pond, the Old North Bridge, and 16+ miles of trails. Massachusetts at its most literary.
70
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Concord profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Carlisle Concord
Headline
Livability index 53 72
Economics
Median home $1.29M $1.46M
Household income $250k $195k
Price ÷ income 5.2× 7.5×
Tax burden 58 60
Schools & Safety
Schools 93 94
Safety 96 92
Getting around
Commute to Boston 40 min 35 min
Walkability 12 38
Transit 5 22
Biking 18 50
Lifestyle
Dining 20 60
Nightlife 10 30
Arts & culture 18 70
Green space 60 95
Community
Diversity 15 60
Climate 73 76
5-yr trend 60 68

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Carlisle vs Concord in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Stuck between Carlisle and Concord?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. I've walked both towns. Tell me what matters most and I'll give you a straight answer within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.

About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.