Bay State Atlas ← All 194 towns
Massachusetts Living Index

Chelmsford

Greater Boston · pop. 36,500

Chelmsford consistently ranks among the top school districts in Middlesex County and draws tech workers from the Lowell corridor. The town center is pleasant if small.

Family SuburbCommuter Value
Livability Index
54
/ 100

The numbers

Median home
$687k
4.9× household income
Household income
$141k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
38 min
peak driving
Population
36,500
5-yr trend 62/100

How Chelmsford scores

Schools
88
Safety
86
Walkability
30
Transit
20
Biking
22
Dining
50
Nightlife
22
Arts & Culture
25
Green Space
35
Diversity
28
Climate
72

The honest read

Best for
Families prioritizing top-tier schools at prices that undercut similarly-ranked towns inside 128.
The tradeoff
No MBTA rail, relies entirely on Route 3 and 495, and the town is sprawling enough that neighbors rarely walk to the same place.

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 Chelmsford lands for you.

Open Chelmsford in the atlas About Gary Browse all 194 towns

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Chelmsford.

Lowell
65/100 · $429k
Central MA
Westford
56/100 · $828k
MetroWest
Carlisle
53/100 · $1.29M
MetroWest
Billerica
49/100 · $707k
Greater Boston

Popular comparisons

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

ChelmsfordvsLowell
54 · 65livability
Side‑by‑side →
ChelmsfordvsWestford
54 · 56livability
Side‑by‑side →

Want my honest read on Chelmsford?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. Tell me what you're looking for and I'll reply personally within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.

Ask Gary about Chelmsford More about Gary