Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Lancaster

Central MA · pop. 8,606

Lancaster is a quiet historic town with a handsome center green, access to the Nashua River Rail Trail, and the Sterling Airport as a local landmark. Atlantic Union College closed and the campus is being redeveloped, but the town retains strong colonial-era character.

Historic VillageTrail Town
Livability Index
51
/ 100
Ranks #166 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$589k
4.4× household income
Household income
$135k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
62 min
peak driving
Population
8,606
5-yr trend 62/100

How Lancaster scores

Schools
80
Safety
85
Walkability
15
Transit
12
Biking
28
Dining
28
Nightlife
22
Arts & Culture
22
Green Space
48
Diversity
28
Climate
71

Who lives in Lancaster

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

Median age
42
Foreign-born
6.8%
Bachelor's or higher
51.1%
Population
8,395
White84.2%
Hispanic / Latino8.6%
Asian0.7%
Black3.8%
Other / multi2.7%

Schools in Lancaster

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

Overall vs MA
Above average
72/100
ELA · 3-8
p75
55.7%
Math · 3-8
p71
58%
ELA · 10
p78
76.1%
Math · 10
p82
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
History buffs and families who want a genuine New England town center, trail access, and prices below the Route 495 premium.
The tradeoff
Limited local economy and modest school scores; the Montachusett Vocational district shares students here in ways that can affect public school composition.

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 Lancaster lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Lancaster.

Lancaster appears in

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

Popular comparisons

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

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