Best Places02746, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood inside ZIP code 02746, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. The coast is close, and the measures below put a number on how close. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
02746 ranks 26,039th of 33,110 U.S. zip codes on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on walkability by a wide margin, and education levels rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in 02746
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.
02746's strengths and weaknesses
Where 02746 ranks high
- WalkabilityBetter than 98% of zip codes
- TransitBetter than 96% of zip codes
- Cell coverageBetter than 91% of zip codes
- BikingBetter than 90% of zip codes
- Big-city accessBetter than 85% of zip codes
Where 02746 ranks low
- Educational attainmentBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 1% of zip codes
- Cost of living vs incomeBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 3% of zip codes
- Healthcare accessBetter than only 5% of zip codes
What it costs to buy a home in 02746
A household needs to earn about $101,000 a year to comfortably buy the median 02746 home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $46,057, 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 02746's effective rate of 1.09%, 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 02746
02746 runs younger than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for 02746.
Who works in 02746, and how
Work in 02746 centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment runs well above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 87%
- Work from home 3%
- Transit, walk, or bike 9%
Life in 02746
02746 has more restaurants and bars per resident than 78% of zip codes. The coast is about 4 minutes away. That concentrates in some parts of 02746 and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in 02746, month by month
02746 sees roughly 78 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 86 degrees. January highs sit near 43, with lows near 23. The comfortable stretch runs May through October.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 43° | 33° | 23° |
| April | 60° | 48° | 37° |
| July | 86° | 74° | 63° |
| October | 68° | 56° | 45° |
Flying in and out of 02746
The nearest airport, Martha's Vineyard, is about 25 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 49 miles away.
The best schools in and around 02746
Schools across 02746 average a D, better than 8% of zip codes.
Top elementary schools
- Abraham LincolnC− · 30% proficient
- Elizabeth Carter BrooksC− · 28% proficient
- Alma Del Mar Charter SchoolC− · 28% proficient
Top middle schools
- Hastings MiddleC+ · 36% proficient
- Keith Middle SchoolD · 20% proficient
- Normandin Middle SchoolD · 19% proficient
Top high schools
- Fairhaven HighB+ · 55% proficient
- Global Learning Charter Public SchoolD · 22% proficient
- New Bedford HighD · 19% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every 02746 school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
02746 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 02746 against the other 33,109 zip codes.
Common questions about living in 02746
Is 02746 a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, 02746 ranks 26,039th of 33,110 zip codes. It scores highest on walkability, transit, and cell coverage, and lowest on education levels and an overheated housing market. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is 02746 expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $373,371. The overall cost of living runs about 3% above the national average. Set against a $46,057 median income, cost of living beats 3% of zip codes.
Is 02746 safe?
Yes, 02746 is safer than 56% of zip codes. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $300 per resident a year.
Compare 02746 with other zip codes
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to 02746. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in 02746 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.
02746 detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for 02746: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in 02746: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of 02746: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in 02746: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
02746 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.