Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Northborough

Central MA · pop. 15,741

Quiet bedroom community wedged between Westborough and Marlborough with good schools, big lots, and zero reason to leave the house once you move in. The Apple Hill subdivision and newer construction along Route 20 have attracted young families priced out of Hopkinton.

Family SuburbTrail Town
Livability Index
56
/ 100
Ranks #112 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$702k
4.5× household income
Household income
$155k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
53 min
peak driving
Population
15,741
5-yr trend 68/100

How Northborough scores

Schools
80
Safety
88
Walkability
28
Transit
25
Biking
30
Dining
50
Nightlife
25
Arts & Culture
30
Green Space
38
Diversity
42
Climate
70

Who lives in Northborough

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

Median age
44.8
Foreign-born
15.5%
Bachelor's or higher
65.2%
Population
16k
White77.5%
Hispanic / Latino4%
Asian11%
Black3.3%
Other / multi4.2%

Schools in Northborough

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

Overall vs MA
Below average
36/100
ELA · 3-8
p61
50.5%
Math · 3-8
p64
55.9%
ELA · 10
p10
0%
Math · 10
p10
0%
Grad rate
Spend / pupil
$21.3k
Below average
Teachers / 100
8.2
Below average
Enrollment
1,634

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

The honest read

Best for
Families who want strong schools and large yards without the premium that comes with Southborough or Hopkinton addresses.
The tradeoff
No MBTA station in town; you drive to Westborough or Framingham to catch the train, adding 20 minutes to your commute.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

Want more context on Northborough than a page can hold?

I can tell you which streets trade differently, what actually shows up under $0.7M, and whether the schools story matches what you'd want for your kid. I reply personally, within 1 business day, no auto-dialer.

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 Northborough lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Northborough.

Northborough appears in

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

Popular comparisons

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

Want my honest read on Northborough?

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.