Best Places02081, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 02081, 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.
02081 ranks 650th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on high incomes by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in 02081
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.
02081's strengths and weaknesses
Where 02081 ranks high
- Household income$181,630 median, better than 99% of zip codes
- Crime safetyBetter than 98% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than 97% of zip codes
- Educational attainmentBetter than 96% of zip codes
Where 02081 ranks low
- Cheap childcare$2,403 a month, better than only 1% of zip codes
- Nice weatherabout 61 pleasant days a year, better than only 10% of zip codes
- Short commute33.7 minutes each way, better than only 14% of zip codes
- QuietBetter than only 22% of zip codes
- Low property taxBetter than only 23% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 02081
A household needs to earn about $198,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 02081 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $181,630; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
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 02081's effective rate of 1.22%, 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 02081
02081'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 02081.
Who works in 02081, and how
Work in 02081 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 68%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in 02081
02081 has more parkland per resident than 91% of zip codes. The coast is about 32 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 02081 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 02081, month by month
02081 sees roughly 61 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 22. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 32° | 22° |
| April | 63° | 50° | 38° |
| July | 88° | 75° | 62° |
| October | 69° | 56° | 42° |
Flying in and out of 02081
General Edward Lawrence Logan International sits about 20 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 21.1 million passengers in 2025, with 199 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around 02081
Schools across 02081 average an A−, better than 88% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- William E SheehanA+ · 77% proficient
- Heights ElementaryA+ · 74% proficient
- Old Post RoadA+ · 72% proficient
Top middle schools
- Thomas Blake MiddleA · 66% proficient
- Sharon MiddleA · 62% proficient
- E W Thurston MiddleA · 62% proficient
Top high schools
- Medfield Senior HighA+ · 83% proficient
- Sharon HighA+ · 83% proficient
- Westwood HighA+ · 82% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 02081 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
02081 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 02081 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Who 02081 suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 97% of zip codes and 27% already work from home.
Common questions about living in 02081
Is 02081 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 02081 ranks 650th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on high incomes, low crime, and health care access, and lowest on childcare costs and the weather. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 02081 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $715,106. The overall cost of living runs about 26% above the national average. Set against a $181,630 median income, cost of living beats 97% of zip codes.
Is 02081 safe?
Yes, 02081 is safer than 98% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $140 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in 02081?
July highs average about 88 degrees, and January highs near 43 with lows near 22. That works out to about 61 pleasant days a year, more than 10% of zip codes.
Is 02081 good for families?
Schools beat 88% of zip codes, crime safety beats 98%, and childcare runs $2,403 a month.
Compare 02081 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 02081. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 02081 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.
02081 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 02081: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 02081: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 02081: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 02081: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
02081 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.