Best Places01522, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 01522, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
01522 ranks 1,985th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low crime by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 01522
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
01522's strengths and weaknesses
Where 01522 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 99% of zip codes
- Heat safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Low vacancyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 96% of zip codes
Where 01522 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,648 a month, better than only 3% of zip codes
- Short commute31.9 minutes each way, better than only 20% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 20% of zip codes
- State fiscal healthBetter than only 27% of zip codes
- WalkabilityBetter than only 27% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 01522
A household needs to earn about $122,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 01522 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $127,255, so a typical household can afford the median home outright.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses 01522's effective rate of 1.28%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in 01522
01522's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 01522.
Who works in 01522, and how
Work in 01522 centers on health care & social and education. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 81%
- Work from home 17%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in 01522
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across 01522.
What the weather is like in 01522, month by month
01522 sees roughly 77 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 83 degrees. January highs sit near 37, with lows near 19. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 37° | 28° | 19° |
| April | 58° | 46° | 36° |
| July | 83° | 72° | 63° |
| October | 64° | 53° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 01522
The nearest airport, Worcester Regional, is about 8 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 44 miles away.
The best schools in and around 01522
Schools across 01522 average an A−, better than 85% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Thomas PrinceA · 66% proficient
- Major Edwards ElementaryA− · 57% proficient
- Davis Hill ElementaryB+ · 52% proficient
Top middle schools
- Chocksett Middle SchoolA− · 52% proficient
- Mountview MiddleB+ · 50% proficient
- Central Tree MiddleB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Wachusett Regional HighA · 79% proficient
- West Boylston Junior/senior HighB+ · 51% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 01522 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
01522 measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare 01522 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 01522
Is 01522 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 01522 ranks 1,985th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, heat safety, and few empty homes, and lowest on childcare costs and long commutes. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 01522 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $438,715. The overall cost of living runs about 13% above the national average. Set against a $127,255 median income, cost of living beats 86% of zip codes.
Is 01522 safe?
Yes, 01522 is safer than 99% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $133 per resident a year.
Compare 01522 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 01522. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 01522 represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
01522 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 01522: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 01522: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 01522: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 01522: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
01522 detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.