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Town comparison · Massachusetts

Holden vs Shrewsbury

Central MA · Central MA
Shrewsbury leads 3–2 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Shrewsbury edges Holden 3 to 2 with 1 tie. Median home prices are close, within $50k of each other. Shrewsbury is about 12 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak. Schools tilt clearly toward Shrewsbury (96 vs. 80).

The two towns at a glance

Holden

Central MA · pop. 19,905
Holden is the most affluent and fastest-growing suburb directly northwest of Worcester, with Wachusett Public Schools (B+), Wachusett Reservoir access, and home prices that remain well below comparable eastern Massachusetts suburbs. Route 122A commerce keeps local services active.
54
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Holden profile →

Shrewsbury

Central MA · pop. 38,876
Strong public schools, the Lake Quinsigamond shoreline, and a quick I-290 commute to the UMass campus.
66
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Shrewsbury profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Holden Shrewsbury
Headline
Livability index 53 67 ✦
Economics
Median home $543k $592k ✦
Household income $143k ✦ $139k
Price ÷ income 3.8× 4.3× ✦
Tax burden 63 ✦ 62
Schools & Safety
Schools 80 96 ✦
Safety 85 ✦ 80
Getting around
Commute to Boston 62 min ✦ 50 min
Walkability 22 33 ✦
Transit 8 21 ✦
Biking 28 28
Lifestyle
Dining 45 60 ✦
Nightlife 28 30 ✦
Arts & culture 28 60 ✦
Green space 38 72 ✦
Community
Diversity 25 85 ✦
Climate 70 72 ✦
5-yr trend 65 70 ✦

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 Holden vs Shrewsbury in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

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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.