Bay State Atlas ← All 194 towns
Massachusetts Living Index

Wellesley

MetroWest · pop. 30,347

Two walkable village centers, commuter rail, and Wellesley College's campus.

Family SuburbCollege Town
Livability Index
70
/ 100
Ranks #27 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$1.62M
6.3× household income
Household income
$250k+
ACS median
Commute to Boston
25 min
peak driving
Population
30,347
5-yr trend 71/100

How Wellesley scores

Schools
97
Safety
92
Walkability
37
Transit
26
Biking
33
Dining
64
Nightlife
36
Arts & Culture
56
Green Space
80
Diversity
70
Climate
74

The honest read

Best for
Families who want a walkable village inside a leafy suburb.
The tradeoff
Income required to compete in this market is substantial.

Read what Wellesley residents actually say ↓

Voices

What Wellesley residents actually say

3 quotes · sourced from Reddit

Pulled from r/boston, r/massachusetts, and town subreddits. Lightly edited for grammar only. The tradeoff quote is on purpose. The honest stuff is what makes the rest believable.

The good
Grew up in Wellesley and it's a very nice place to grow up. Very safe, terrific schools, easy proximity to Boston. The town basics just work.
r/boston · Mar 2022 view thread →
The tradeoff
Wellesley is definitely not known for its diversity. That's slowly changing as empty nesters sell and younger families move in, but the demographics are what they are.
r/boston · Mar 2022 view thread →
The feel
Within a few blocks you'll find both serene wooded stretches and bustling almost-urban pockets. The college presence is woven in too, refined and quiet, not the typical college-town energy.
r/boston · Mar 2025 view thread →

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 Wellesley lands for you.

Nearby towns

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