Best Places02038, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 02038, 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.
02038 ranks 1,516th 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 02038
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.
02038's strengths and weaknesses
Where 02038 ranks high
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Household income$149,783 median, better than 96% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 93% of zip codes
- Health outlookBetter than 92% of zip codes
Where 02038 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,403 a month, better than only 1% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 14% of zip codes
- Short commute32.5 minutes each way, better than only 18% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 69 pleasant days a year, better than only 23% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 24% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 02038
A household needs to earn about $172,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 02038 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $149,783, so buying stretches a typical household.
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 02038's effective rate of 1.21%, 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 02038
02038'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 02038.
Who works in 02038, and how
Work in 02038 centers on health care & social and professional & technical. Unemployment is close to the national rate, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 70%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in 02038
The coast is about 44 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across 02038, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 02038, month by month
02038 sees roughly 69 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 85 degrees. January highs sit near 40, with lows near 21. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 40° | 30° | 21° |
| April | 60° | 48° | 37° |
| July | 85° | 73° | 63° |
| October | 66° | 54° | 44° |
Flying in and out of 02038
The nearest airport, Rhode Island Tf Green International, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 28 miles away.
The best schools in and around 02038
Schools across 02038 average an A−, better than 86% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- J F Kennedy MemorialA+ · 73% proficient
- Benjamin Franklin Classical Charter Public SchoolA− · 58% proficient
- Freeman-kennedy SchoolA− · 57% proficient
Top middle schools
- Annie Sullivan Middle SchoolB+ · 52% proficient
- Medway MiddleB+ · 52% proficient
- Horace MannB+ · 51% proficient
Top high schools
- Millis High SchoolA+ · 85% proficient
- Medway HighA+ · 83% proficient
- Franklin HighA · 74% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 02038 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
02038 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 02038 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 02038 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 92% of zip codes and 22% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 02038
Is 02038 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 02038 ranks 1,516th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on low crime, high incomes, and an educated workforce, and lowest on childcare costs and noise. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 02038 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $623,504. The overall cost of living runs about 21% above the national average. Set against a $149,783 median income, cost of living beats 92% of zip codes.
Is 02038 safe?
Yes, 02038 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $141 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 02038?
July highs average about 85 degrees, and January highs near 40 with lows near 21. That works out to about 69 pleasant days a year, more than 23% of zip codes.
Is 02038 good for families?
Schools beat 86% of zip codes, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $2,403 a month.
Compare 02038 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 02038. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 02038 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.
02038 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 02038: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 02038: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 02038: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 02038: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
02038 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.