There’s no denying it: there are plenty of places in Massachusetts that are downright beautiful and full of excitement.
Unfortunately, not all towns and cities in Bay State are so lucky.
Just like in all U.S. States, there are definitely some boring places within Massachusetts’s’ borders. You know the places where everyone has an AARP card and the most exciting thing they do all day is post a picture of their grandchild on Facebook.
Like Gardner, for instance. In our latest analysis, we found that this city was the most boring city in all of Oklahoma according to Saturday Night Science. But don’t feel bad if you’re a resident of Gardner. There are plenty of other boring, lackluster places in Massachusetts as well.
Here they are. Try not to jump out of your seat with excitement.
The 10 Most Boring Places In Massachusetts
Don’t freak out, in fact, believe it not, a boring city is actually one a lot of people would like to call home.
Before you get all upset if your city’s name is on the list, rest assured that we didn’t use personal opinion when it comes to what classifies a city or town as “boring” or “exciting”. We crunched actual numbers to figure out which towns are statistically more boring.
Showing this data to you is the kind of thing that a real estate agent knows, but would never share.
For more Massachusetts reading, check out:
Table Of Contents: Top Ten | Methodology | Summary | Table
The 10 Most Boring Places In Massachusetts For 2023
/10
Average Age: 45.0
% Married: 31.0%
More on Gardner: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 51.0
% Married: 32.0%
More on Gloucester: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 46.5
% Married: 30.0%
More on Newburyport: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 43.4
% Married: 27.0%
More on Pittsfield: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 46.9
% Married: 32.0%
More on Peabody: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 40.2
% Married: 27.0%
More on Taunton: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 43.0
% Married: 24.0%
More on Leominster: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 43.1
% Married: 26.0%
More on Melrose: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 39.8
% Married: 23.0%
More on Attleboro: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
/10
Average Age: 44.5
% Married: 26.0%
More on North Adams: Data | Crime | Cost Of Living | Real Estate
Methodology: How we determined the boring cities in the Bay State
You would present the following case to your friends if you were argueing with them at a bar about the most boring place to live in Massachusetts. And that’s why we call it Saturday Night Science.
Because our data speaks more truth than feelings.
To figure out how boring a place is, we factored in things we generally think make people exciting, and then we figure out which cities have the least number of those exciting people.
We used the U.S. American Community Census data to gather the information presented here. HSome of the things people tend to think of as making a city’s population boring include:
- % of Population Over 25 (higher is more boring)
- % of Married Household (higher is more boring)
- Average Age (higher is more boring)
- % of Households With Kids (higher is more boring)
- Population density (lower is more boring)
Then, our algorithm generates a ranking for each place in these categories. After crunching the numbers, all of the cities ranked from most boring to most exciting.
For this ranking, we used every Massachusetts city with at least 12,000 residents. This keeps us from prejudicing our rankings by including very small pockets of retired people.
Grab your rocker and hold on.
We updated this article for 2023, and it’s our tenth time ranking the most boring cities in Massachusetts.
There You Have It – Now That You’re Asleep
On a ranking like this, there are usually no winners, but since Massachusetts isn’t necessarily the most boring state in the United States, the cities on this ranking can at least take solace that there are, in fact, more boring cities in the country.
If you’re also curious enough, here are the most exciting places in Massachusetts, according to science:
- Cambridge
- Boston
- Somerville
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
Detailed List Of The Most Boring Cities In Massachusetts For 2023
| Rank | City | Population | Average Age | % Married | % Kids |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gardner, MA | 21,090 | 45.0 | 31.0% | 26.9% |
| 2 | Gloucester, MA | 29,830 | 51.0 | 32.0% | 20.5% |
| 3 | Newburyport, MA | 18,356 | 46.5 | 30.0% | 27.9% |
| 4 | Pittsfield, MA | 43,730 | 43.4 | 27.0% | 24.4% |
| 5 | Peabody, MA | 54,204 | 46.9 | 32.0% | 24.9% |
| 6 | Taunton, MA | 59,436 | 40.2 | 27.0% | 32.2% |
| 7 | Leominster, MA | 43,620 | 43.0 | 24.0% | 26.5% |
| 8 | Melrose, MA | 29,477 | 43.1 | 26.0% | 29.7% |
| 9 | Attleboro, MA | 46,384 | 39.8 | 23.0% | 31.8% |
| 10 | North Adams, MA | 12,937 | 44.5 | 26.0% | 21.3% |
| 11 | Woburn, MA | 40,992 | 39.2 | 28.0% | 28.9% |
| 12 | Westfield, MA | 40,794 | 39.2 | 29.0% | 27.7% |
| 13 | Marlborough, MA | 41,391 | 38.1 | 20.0% | 29.8% |
| 14 | Haverhill, MA | 67,273 | 37.9 | 26.0% | 32.2% |
| 15 | Northampton, MA | 28,245 | 42.5 | 15.0% | 22.7% |
| 16 | Beverly, MA | 42,414 | 40.3 | 28.0% | 27.5% |
| 17 | Chicopee, MA | 55,441 | 41.4 | 24.0% | 25.1% |
| 18 | Fall River, MA | 93,638 | 39.2 | 17.0% | 28.8% |
| 19 | Newton, MA | 88,453 | 41.7 | 16.0% | 33.5% |
| 20 | Revere, MA | 60,577 | 39.6 | 13.0% | 29.9% |
| 21 | Fitchburg, MA | 41,621 | 37.6 | 20.0% | 28.2% |
| 22 | Quincy, MA | 100,981 | 38.3 | 15.0% | 22.2% |
| 23 | Salem, MA | 44,541 | 38.0 | 20.0% | 21.5% |
| 24 | Holyoke, MA | 38,210 | 37.5 | 16.0% | 28.3% |
| 25 | New Bedford, MA | 100,620 | 36.8 | 18.0% | 30.5% |
| 26 | Brockton, MA | 104,713 | 36.4 | 13.0% | 39.5% |
| 27 | Everett, MA | 48,685 | 36.0 | 12.0% | 36.0% |
| 28 | Medford, MA | 61,748 | 35.4 | 17.0% | 20.4% |
| 29 | Malden, MA | 65,463 | 35.4 | 13.0% | 29.6% |
| 30 | Lynn, MA | 100,653 | 36.2 | 14.0% | 37.4% |
| 31 | Lowell, MA | 114,737 | 34.6 | 13.0% | 32.3% |
| 32 | Springfield, MA | 155,305 | 33.4 | 13.0% | 33.1% |
| 33 | Waltham, MA | 64,711 | 34.7 | 16.0% | 18.3% |
| 34 | Chelsea, MA | 39,890 | 34.5 | 5.0% | 33.2% |
| 35 | Worcester, MA | 204,191 | 34.3 | 13.0% | 28.0% |
| 36 | Lawrence, MA | 88,067 | 31.5 | 6.0% | 41.4% |
| 37 | Somerville, MA | 80,464 | 32.1 | 9.0% | 14.8% |
| 38 | Boston, MA | 665,945 | 32.9 | 9.0% | 20.9% |
| 39 | Cambridge, MA | 117,962 | 30.6 | 6.0% | 17.1% |
Lexington, Gloucester and Barnstable aren’t boring at all. Lexington has a great history and very nice houses. Gloucester has nice beaches and lighthouses. They also have Stage Fort Park and the Hammond Castle. Barnstable includes the village of Hyannis, which is a great tourist destination. It’s also on cape cod, and surrounded by water on two sides.
I think it’s terrible that you’re stereotyping all old and married people as being boring.
I’m married and I’m not boring at all and I know plenty of old people that I boring either or sickly.
I think the people that did this survey and probably young single people who don’t have a clue about much in life.
Might I suggest research Millville, Blackstone and Uxbridge.