Bay State Atlas ← All 194 towns
Massachusetts Living Index

Gloucester

North Shore · pop. 30,075

America's oldest fishing port has a working waterfront, a proper arts district, Cape Ann Museum, and enough dive bars and good restaurants to keep it real. Not Rockport-sanitized, in a good way.

Historic VillageCoastal TouristCity Life
Livability Index
57
/ 100
Ranks #110 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$771k
8.8× household income
Household income
$88k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
50 min
peak driving
Population
30,075
5-yr trend 60/100

How Gloucester scores

Schools
70
Safety
68
Walkability
68
Transit
35
Biking
38
Dining
62
Nightlife
38
Arts & Culture
60
Green Space
40
Diversity
32
Climate
63

The honest read

Best for
Buyers who want an authentic working-class waterfront town with commuter rail and real culture.
The tradeoff
Schools score in the lower 70s and some neighborhoods have elevated crime.

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 Gloucester lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Gloucester.

Popular comparisons

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