Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Bolton

Central MA · pop. 5,665

Bolton is one of the wealthiest small towns in Massachusetts with median household incomes approaching $200k and home prices over $850k. Acre-plus lots, conservation trails through the Nashoba Valley, and excellent Nashoba district schools make this a premium rural retreat.

Rural RetreatTrail Town
Livability Index
54
/ 100
Ranks #134 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$858k
4.3× household income
Household income
$198k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
54 min
peak driving
Population
5,665
5-yr trend 72/100

How Bolton scores

Schools
90
Safety
92
Walkability
10
Transit
8
Biking
25
Dining
25
Nightlife
20
Arts & Culture
22
Green Space
58
Diversity
22
Climate
71

Who lives in Bolton

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

Median age
40.7
Foreign-born
11.7%
Bachelor's or higher
77.1%
Population
5,653
White84.8%
Hispanic / Latino3.9%
Asian6.2%
Other / multi5.1%

Schools in Bolton

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

Overall vs MA
Above average
74/100
ELA · 3-8
p76
55.7%
Math · 3-8
p72
58%
ELA · 10
p79
76.1%
Math · 10
p83
74%
Grad rate
95.6%
Above average
Spend / pupil
$21.7k
Below average
Teachers / 100
8.1
Below average
Enrollment
3,031

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

The honest read

Best for
High-income buyers who want rural acreage, top schools in Nashoba district, and proximity to Route 495 tech corridor employment.
The tradeoff
No local services whatsoever and effectively zero transit; transit score and nightlife are appropriately low for a town of 5,600 with more orchards than shops.

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 Bolton lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Bolton.

Bolton appears in

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

Popular comparisons

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

Want my honest read on Bolton?

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