Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Auburn

Central MA · pop. 16,889

Auburn sits directly south of Worcester on Route 20 and I-290, functioning as a practical commuter suburb with the lowest home prices among any town on this list south of $500k. The Route 20 commercial strip keeps basic services accessible.

Family Suburb
Livability Index
51
/ 100
Ranks #164 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$463k
4× household income
Household income
$117k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
59 min
peak driving
Population
16,889
5-yr trend 60/100

How Auburn scores

Schools
75
Safety
75
Walkability
30
Transit
8
Biking
28
Dining
48
Nightlife
32
Arts & Culture
25
Green Space
28
Diversity
32
Climate
70

Who lives in Auburn

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
43.8
Foreign-born
6.7%
Bachelor's or higher
41.9%
Population
17k
White90.4%
Hispanic / Latino4.8%
Asian2.6%
Black0.5%
Other / multi1.7%

Schools in Auburn

Auburn School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Above average
53/100
ELA · 3-8
p53
45.3%
Math · 3-8
p47
45.1%
ELA · 10
p57
63.6%
Math · 10
p64
60.2%
Grad rate
92.7%
Below average
Spend / pupil
$17.9k
Bottom 25%
Teachers / 100
7.5
Bottom 25%
Enrollment
2,499

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Budget buyers who need I-290 access to Worcester-area employment and want home ownership below $500k.
The tradeoff
Schools rate B on Niche and the town has limited character beyond its commercial corridor; buyers wanting charm should look elsewhere.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

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Compare on your terms

These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where Auburn lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Auburn.

Auburn appears in

Rankings where Auburn qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at Auburn.

Want my honest read on Auburn?

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