There are all types when it comes to being a snob in Massachusetts. You’ve got your Wine Snobs, Book Snobs, and, of course, Clothes Snobs. Then there are the Technology Snobs, Car Snobs, and yes, even City Snobsas in, I’m better than you because I live in (insert snooty city here).
How can we tell which Massachusetts cities are the snobbiest? By measuring snobby things, that’s how.
We used Saturday Night Science to look at things like expensive homes, high incomes, and overly educated populations by city in Massachusetts. These are the criteria you’d argue with a friend over a foodie dinner about who’s snobbier.
After analyzing 39 of the state’s most populous areas over 12,000 people, we came up with this ranking of the ten snobbiest places in the state of Massachusetts.
The Bay Stater in these places aren’t snobby, they just know they’re better than you.
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Snobbiest Places In Massachusetts
Don’t freak out.
What’s the snobbiest place in Massachusetts? The snobbiest place in Massachusetts is Newton based on the data. If we had their wealth and lifestyle, we’d probably be a little snobby, too.
The most laid back? That would be Springfield.
We’re not so full of ourselves as to make this ranking up from nowhere. So here’s a look at the top ten and more on how we did it. And if you’re curious, Massachusetts is the 1st snobbiest in the United States.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
The 10 Snobbiest Places In Massachusetts For 2024
/10
% Highly Educated: 81.0%
Median Income: $176,373
Median Home Price: $1,367,720
More on Newton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 80.0%
Median Income: $121,539
Median Home Price: $946,296
More on Cambridge: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 64.0%
Median Income: $127,306
Median Home Price: $820,037
More on Newburyport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 67.0%
Median Income: $120,778
Median Home Price: $878,789
More on Somerville: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 61.0%
Median Income: $126,305
Median Home Price: $819,404
More on Melrose: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 56.0%
Median Income: $114,863
Median Home Price: $753,975
More on Medford: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 56.0%
Median Income: $113,443
Median Home Price: $747,940
More on Waltham: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 53.0%
Median Income: $99,525
Median Home Price: $671,453
More on Beverly: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 48.0%
Median Income: $104,780
Median Home Price: $670,017
More on Woburn: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
% Highly Educated: 53.0%
Median Income: $89,212
Median Home Price: $714,795
More on Boston: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How we determined the snobbiest cities in the Bay State
Do you think wed just come up with this list willy-nilly? Not a chance – we only use Saturday Night Science around here.
We gathered up all of the places in Massachusetts with populations of 12,000 people or more. This left us with a total of 39 places. Then, we looked at each place in terms of these snoot-er-iffic criteria (And no, its not a word. English snob.):
- Median home price (Higher is snobbier)
- Median household income (Higher is snobbier)
- Percent of population with a college degree (Higher is snobbier)
Incomes and college education levels come from the American Community Survey. Home prices come from Zillow.
Turned out this simple criteria was much better at sniffing out the snobby places then more snobby criteria like:
- Libaries per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Museums per capita (Higher is snobbier)
- Private schools per capita (Higher is snobbier)
From there, we ranked each of our 39 places in each category with scores from one to 39. We then averaged each places ranking into one overall score, where the lowest score went to the snobbiest place in Massachusetts. So lets all flip a table in honor of Newton (with our pinkies up, of course.)
Before you get upset and ruin your blowout or something drastic here, lets remember that this is all in good fun. Would we live in one of these 10 places if we had the chance? Of course, we would.
And it’s not like your real estate agent would ever point out how snobby the town you’re moving to is. We’re here to keep you grounded, even if you’re wearing a monocle.
There You Have It – Now That You’re On Your High Horse
When it comes to snobbery, these places in Massachusetts are heading ever upward. Residents in these communities are well educated, well paid, and appear to have all the sophisticated culture and entertainment of an Ernst Lubitsch film right at their fingertips.
Not that there’s anything wrong with that.
The snobbiest cities in Massachusetts are Newton, Cambridge, Newburyport, Somerville, Melrose, Medford, Waltham, Beverly, Woburn, and Boston.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most laid back places in Massachusetts, according to science:
- Springfield
- Holyoke
- Fall River
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
- Best Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Cheapest Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Dangerous Cities In Massachusetts
- Richest Cities In Massachusetts
- Safest Places In Massachusetts
- Worst Places To Live In Massachusetts
- Most Expensive Places To Live In Massachusetts
Table: The Snobbiest Cities In Massachusetts For 2024
| Rank | City | Population | Median Income | Average Home Prices | Adult Highly Educated |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Newton, MA | 88,453 | $176,373 | $1,367,720 | 81.0% |
| 2 | Cambridge, MA | 117,962 | $121,539 | $946,296 | 80.0% |
| 3 | Newburyport, MA | 18,356 | $127,306 | $820,037 | 64.0% |
| 4 | Somerville, MA | 80,464 | $120,778 | $878,789 | 67.0% |
| 5 | Melrose, MA | 29,477 | $126,305 | $819,404 | 61.0% |
| 6 | Medford, MA | 61,748 | $114,863 | $753,975 | 56.0% |
| 7 | Waltham, MA | 64,711 | $113,443 | $747,940 | 56.0% |
| 8 | Beverly, MA | 42,414 | $99,525 | $671,453 | 53.0% |
| 9 | Woburn, MA | 40,992 | $104,780 | $670,017 | 48.0% |
| 10 | Boston, MA | 665,945 | $89,212 | $714,795 | 53.0% |
| 11 | Quincy, MA | 100,981 | $90,668 | $617,826 | 46.0% |
| 12 | Peabody, MA | 54,204 | $91,125 | $628,178 | 35.0% |
| 13 | Gloucester, MA | 29,830 | $84,465 | $684,078 | 39.0% |
| 14 | Malden, MA | 65,463 | $90,295 | $609,995 | 43.0% |
| 15 | Marlborough, MA | 41,391 | $94,199 | $521,510 | 41.0% |
| 16 | Salem, MA | 44,541 | $79,196 | $556,514 | 49.0% |
| 17 | Northampton, MA | 28,245 | $80,981 | $439,136 | 63.0% |
| 18 | Attleboro, MA | 46,384 | $91,378 | $476,170 | 32.0% |
| 19 | Haverhill, MA | 67,273 | $81,989 | $479,045 | 30.0% |
| 20 | Revere, MA | 60,577 | $78,968 | $558,745 | 24.0% |
| 21 | Everett, MA | 48,685 | $77,796 | $567,525 | 23.0% |
| 22 | Leominster, MA | 43,620 | $75,620 | $413,118 | 33.0% |
| 23 | Westfield, MA | 40,794 | $78,307 | $336,401 | 32.0% |
| 24 | Lowell, MA | 114,737 | $73,008 | $435,128 | 28.0% |
| 25 | Taunton, MA | 59,436 | $72,782 | $455,672 | 23.0% |
| 26 | Lynn, MA | 100,653 | $70,046 | $511,699 | 22.0% |
| 27 | Chelsea, MA | 39,890 | $71,051 | $483,659 | 22.0% |
| 28 | Worcester, MA | 204,191 | $63,011 | $392,447 | 33.0% |
| 29 | Brockton, MA | 104,713 | $74,016 | $455,030 | 21.0% |
| 30 | Pittsfield, MA | 43,730 | $66,859 | $283,475 | 34.0% |
| 31 | Fitchburg, MA | 41,621 | $65,963 | $357,162 | 24.0% |
| 32 | Chicopee, MA | 55,441 | $63,866 | $281,474 | 24.0% |
| 33 | Lawrence, MA | 88,067 | $53,977 | $436,042 | 15.0% |
| 34 | North Adams, MA | 12,937 | $49,525 | $232,713 | 27.0% |
| 35 | New Bedford, MA | 100,620 | $54,604 | $380,670 | 18.0% |
| 36 | Gardner, MA | 21,090 | $56,974 | $331,761 | 18.0% |
| 37 | Fall River, MA | 93,638 | $52,734 | $390,416 | 17.0% |
| 38 | Holyoke, MA | 38,210 | $49,007 | $291,473 | 22.0% |
| 39 | Springfield, MA | 155,305 | $47,677 | $262,369 | 19.0% |
I mean to be fair these are all rich white people towns
Wellsley. Is up there.
I remember a yr. back, I had parked and paid street meter in Wellesley for an hour, and came out to find they ticketed for “marked lanes violatioin”…well, I took pics, b/c both front and back white paint grid lines in the concrete were faded, disentegrating, beyond normal sense to have there in that condition at all!
Whaddy’a think the parking clerk office said about that..”whoops, too bad!” You would have to be cruicified there-with glittering gold spray paint-and say you’re handicapped to get them to overturn a parking ticket…and everything on their town hall has “reminder-we’re out of money-close doors/lights/air cond.
How much you wanna bet if Hillary gets in this fall and returns to Wellesley College (her alma) every one of these patch job parking grids will be painted over red, white and blue.
I have lived in Winchester my entire life . I grew up in town . My dad worked his arse off to get our house. He came from Canada – Windsor Nova Scotia, and Saint John area. – and worked his arse off to get to the U.S. – and worked at Honneywell in the factories in Lawrence working his way up to become a planet manager and working at EMC. He paid his own way through school at Lesley college and Bentley and my mother taught at Vinson Owen School in Winchester for 25-30 years.
Both of my folks bought our house in Winchester when the house cost around $77,000. Not everyone in Winchester is a snob. Nor are all rich people. I grew up in the high school and your numbers are misleading. Most people who attended colleges and universities from Winchester ended up graduating. I know plenty of people who graduated and work in successful fields. Winchester is a beautiful town with a lot to offer. We have greenway for biking and walking, a nice central business district with outdoor and indoor dining options and a beautiful mill pond.
The middlesex fells reservation has miles of hiking trails and horn pond is right near by. – its a great place to live. – People may seem snobby, but most people just take time to get to know people as is the case anywhere in Massachusetts. Massachusetts is a more close-knit state, and its tough for newcomers to a town or area to get to know people at first. but the longer you are there the more people open up, and the same is true in Winchester. I have known several good friends who live and grew up in Winchester, and NONE of them are SNOBS. Yes there are a few bad apples who spoil the bunch as with any town, but just because Winchester has a high percentage of rich people these days, it is not fair to categorize the entire community as snobs or snobby. There are a lot of good people in the Winchester area too who do a lot for community organizations and charity organizations in the area such as the Cummings family and Whip Saltmarsh of Saltmarsh Insurance. – I have lived in Winchester my entire life. Yes, I live at home, so I don’t have to pay for housing etc, (I help with the chores and other things for my older folks who are 72 and 80) now. I am 43. going on 44. I graduated from Winchester High School in 1995. and Obtained a B.S. Degree in Geography/Environmental Science from Salem State College (Now Salem State University) in 2004. I have worked 14 seasons going on 15 at the TD garden in Boston as an usher. I love my job. But I am lucky if I make 15,000-20,000 a year salary wise. – I am not rich.
My folks are upper middle class. We are not however, rich, and we are not snobby. My parents are the nicest people you’ll ever meet, and welcome everyone in no matter what race, sexual orientation , or culture. We had a lesbian couple living next door to us, who had adopted children. My folks had no issue with them and became friends with the family. So I would appreciate it if you don’t lump everyone into one category in the future. Not everyone in Winchester is a snob. I have lived here my whole life and have never come across anyone real snobby person in town. Yeah there’s a few isolationists who want to be left alone, and a few crabby people who may seem snobby but they are probably just grumpy old timers. for the most part, as can be the case in any town. Just because people have money doesn’t mean they are all snobs. And a lot of the people with money do a lot for the community organizations in the area. So stop characterizing everyone in Winchester as snobby. I will always love Winchester and believe it is a great place to raise a family or live in town solo. And if you don’t think so.
I’m not a millionaire or a snob and I live in Winchester. Stop Characterizing everyone in one article. – okay??? – I am lucky if I make 20 K a year.
Education and libraries are considered “snobby”? No wonder this country’s dumbing down while other countries are eating our lunch in educating their kids. I thought being snobby was about how people behave to each other, not how much education people value or how much they earn.
And I’ve never heard anyone in any of these communities even mention Ernst Lubitsch…just in this article.
What about Nantucket?
For cities ok, but if we’re talking towns Lenox, MA is #1.
Really I know you want to add an element of humor to this, but no it’s just stupid, and in its stupidity, kind of insulting.
Why? Your criteria have nothing to do with what we all colloquially understand as snobbery.
So, again, just stupid.