Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Norfolk

Greater Boston · pop. 11,527

Wealthy, quiet, and predominantly residential, Norfolk sits at the end of the commuter rail line with incomes that punch well above most of its neighbors. The King Philip school district sends kids through a well-resourced shared regional high school.

Family SuburbTrail Town
Livability Index
54
/ 100
Ranks #132 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$796k
4× household income
Household income
$201k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
42 min
peak driving
Population
11,527
5-yr trend 72/100

How Norfolk scores

Schools
80
Safety
90
Walkability
22
Transit
25
Biking
28
Dining
38
Nightlife
22
Arts & Culture
25
Green Space
45
Diversity
22
Climate
72

Who lives in Norfolk

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

Median age
41.1
Foreign-born
7.1%
Bachelor's or higher
54.9%
Population
12k
White83.6%
Hispanic / Latino4.7%
Asian1.9%
Black6.1%
Other / multi3.7%

Schools in Norfolk

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

Overall vs MA
Below average
44/100
ELA · 3-8
p71
54%
Math · 3-8
p87
66.4%
ELA · 10
p9
0%
Math · 10
p9
0%
Grad rate
Spend / pupil
$18.6k
Bottom 25%
Teachers / 100
8.2
Below average
Enrollment
1,041

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 families who want a truly private, low-density suburb with commuter rail access to Boston.
The tradeoff
Very limited local amenities; you drive to Franklin or Walpole for most errands, and commuter rail frequency to Forge Park is limited.

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 Norfolk lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Norfolk.

Norfolk appears in

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

Popular comparisons

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

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