Norwood Is The 17th Best Place To Live In Massachusetts: Survey

For many reasons, Massachusetts is a pretty great place to live. The state frequently tops "best of" lists for a variety of factors. But once you get here, where is the best place to bring your family?

Massachusetts recently ranked at number 6 as one of WalletHub's top 10 states for raising a family. With that in mind, the personal finance website studied the state, releasing this week the 2017’s Best Places to Live in Massachusetts for Families.

WalletHub’s analysts compared 86 Massachusetts cities and towns with a minimum population of 10,400 to determine the most suitable places in which to put down roots. The analysis was carried out using 21 key indicators of family-friendliness, ranging from median family income to school-system quality to housing affordability.

Norwood came in as the 17th best place to live. Longmeadow in the western part of the state took the top spot.

The final rankings were broken into the following four categories, with 25 points being the highest: Family Life and Fun, Education, Health and Safety, Affordability and Socioeconomics.

Massachusetts Cities, Ranked for "Raising a Family," via Wallethub:

1. Longmeadow
2. Franklin
3. Winchester
4. Lexington
5. Wellesley
6. Needham
7. Belmont
8. Reading
9. Milton
10. Newton
11. Arlington
12. Melrose
13. Marblehead
14. Wilmington
15. Lynnfield
16. Maynard
17. Norwood
18. Newburyport
19. Swampscott
20. Woburn
21. Braintree
22. Easthampton
23. Wakefield
24. Burlington
25. Brookline
26. Watertown
27. Stoneham
28. Hudson
29. Somerset
30. Dedham
31. Amherst
32. Abington
33. Greenfield
34. Weymouth
35. Marlborough
36. Westfield
37. Northampton
38. Beverly
39. Agawam
40. Medford
41. Methuen
42. Waltham
43. Amesbury
44. Gloucester
45. Danvers
46. Pittsfield
47. Milford
48. Attleboro
49. Cambridge
50. Hull
51. Peabody
52. Taunton
53. Framingham
54. Saugus
55. Quincy
56. Leominster
57. Salem
58. Barnstable
59. West Springfield
60. Palmer
61. Chicopee
62. Somerville
63. Haverhill
64. Gardner
65. South Yarmouth
66. Southbridge
67. Fitchburg
68. Holbrook
69. Winthrop
70. Malden
71. Lowell
72. North Adams
73. Webster
74. Worcester
75. Everett
76. Randolph
77. Brockton
78. Lynn
79. New Bedford
80. Revere
81. Fall River
82. Springfield
83. Holyoke
84. Boston
85. Chelsea
86. Lawrence

Best vs. Worst Facts, Via WalletHub:

• Brookline has the most playgrounds per 100,000 residents, 20.29, which is 36.9 times more than in Worcester, the city with the fewest at 0.55.
• Franklin Town has the fewest violent crimes per 1,000 residents, 0.12, which is 95.1 times fewer than in Fall River, the city with the most at 11.41.
• Longmeadow has the highest median annual family income (adjusted for cost of living), $95,683, which is 3.3 times higher than in Lawrence, the city with the lowest at $29,280.
• Lynnfield has the lowest separation and divorce rate, 8.03 percent, which is 4.2 times lower than in North Adams, the city with the highest at 33.37 percent.
• Needham has the lowest share of families receiving food stamps, 0.89 percent, which is 50.5 times lower than in Lawrence, the city with the highest at 44.95 percent.

By Charlene Arsenalut (Patch Staff)

Photo via Shutterstock