Editor’s Note: This article is an opinion based on facts and is meant as infotainment. Don’t freak out we updated this article for 2020. This is our sixth time ranking the worst small places to live in Massachusetts.
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Most Americans have never been to Massachusetts. However, as the people who live there know, Massachusetts is an awesome state.
But is it all roses? Definitely not. Just like any other state, Massachusetts has its trouble spots. This article aims to determine, using science, the absolute worst small towns to live in the Bay State. Don't shoot the messenger, this is all using data.
After analyzing more than 95 of Massachusetts's smallest cities, we came up with this list as the 10 worst small towns in Massachusetts where you'd never want to live:
These are the worst small towns in Massachusetts for 2020:
So what is the worst small town to call home in massachusetts for 2020? According to the most recent census data, Shelburne Falls is the worst small town to live in Massachusetts.
Of course, many of these cities would rank highly if they were in other states, since Massachusetts has its stuff figured out.
Read on below to see how we crunched the numbers, or scroll to the bottom to see how your town ranked.
Population: 1,756 Rank Last Year: 1 (No Change) Median Home Value: $210,500 (12th worst) Unemployment Rate: 7.9% (16th worst) More on Shelburne Falls:Data
Population: 2,173 Rank Last Year: 7 (Up 4) Median Home Value: $196,600 (6th worst) Unemployment Rate: 5.7% (37th worst) More on West Wareham:Data | Photos
Population: 3,684 Rank Last Year: 9 (Up 3) Median Home Value: $288,800 (37th worst) Unemployment Rate: 7.7% (20th worst) More on South Dennis:Data | Photos
Population: 1,365 Rank Last Year: 16 (Up 6) Median Home Value: $209,200 (10th worst) Unemployment Rate: 6.0% (33rd worst) More on Holland:Data
How do you decide if a place is lousy or not?
In order to rank the worst small towns to live in Massachusetts, we had to determine what criteria people like or dislike about a place. It isn't a stretch to assume that people like low crime, solid education, things to do and a stable economy.
So we scraped the internet for those criteria, and it spit out the answer. Like magic.
How we determined the worst small towns to live in Massachusetts for 2020
Adjusted Median Income (Median income adjusted for the cost of living)
Education (Number of high school dropouts)
High Crime
We looked at cities with populations between 1,000 and 5,000 people, of which, there were a lot - 95 to be exact.
Additional note: We get the crime numbers from the FBI, which gets its crime numbers from the cities themselves. Dropout numbers are based on the adult population, not just the current graduation rates of teenagers.
This list is a scientific analysis based on real data and is completely unbiased.
There You Have It - The Worst Small Towns In Massachusetts
If you're analyzing teeny places in the Bay State with the worst economic situations, where there's high crime and there's not a lot to do, this is an accurate list.
If you're curious enough, here are the best small towns to live in Massachusetts, according to science:
South Duxbury (Pop. 3,613)
Dover (Pop. 2,533)
Nahant (Pop. 3,495)
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
Detailed List Of The Worst Small Towns In Massachusetts