Best PlacesGreendale, Worcester, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Greendale, Worcester, 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.
Greendale, Worcester ranks 1,483rd of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on heat safety by a wide margin, and internet speeds rank lowest.
The best neighborhoods in Greendale, Worcester
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.
Greendale, Worcester's strengths and weaknesses
Where Greendale, Worcester ranks high
- Heat safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 91% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 87% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
Where Greendale, Worcester ranks low
- Internet speedBetter than only 2% of neighborhoods
- BikingBetter than only 14% of neighborhoods
- Cheap childcare$1,648 a month, better than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 24% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than only 26% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Greendale, Worcester
A household needs to earn about $104,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Greendale, Worcester home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is below the area's own median income of $120,957, 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 Greendale, Worcester's effective rate of 1.32%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 9 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in Greendale, Worcester
Greendale, Worcester's age mix sits close to the national median, 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 Greendale, Worcester.
Who works in Greendale, Worcester, and how
Work in Greendale, Worcester centers on health care & social and retail trade. Unemployment is low, and the job base is shrinking.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 85%
- Work from home 13%
- Transit, walk, or bike 2%
Life in Greendale, Worcester
Greendale, Worcester has more restaurants and bars per resident than 76% of neighborhoods. That concentrates in some parts of Greendale, Worcester and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Greendale, Worcester, month by month
Greendale, Worcester 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 Greendale, Worcester
The nearest airport, Worcester Regional, is about 6 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 40 miles away.
The best schools in and around Greendale, Worcester
Schools across Greendale, Worcester average a C−, better than 29% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Jacob Hiatt MagnetC+ · 37% proficient
- Norrback AvenueD · 20% proficient
- Burncoat StreetD · 18% proficient
Top middle schools
- Forest Grove MiddleD+ · 25% proficient
- Burncoat Middle SchoolD · 22% proficient
Top high schools
- Burncoat Senior HighC− · 28% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Greendale, Worcester school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Greendale, Worcester 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 Greendale, Worcester against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in Greendale, Worcester
Is Greendale, Worcester a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Greendale, Worcester ranks 1,483rd of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on heat safety, low crime, and few empty homes, and lowest on internet speeds and biking. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is Greendale, Worcester expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $369,968. The overall cost of living runs about 14% above the national average. Set against a $120,957 median income, cost of living beats 78% of neighborhoods.
Is Greendale, Worcester safe?
Yes, Greendale, Worcester is safer than 91% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $223 per resident a year.
Compare Greendale, Worcester with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Greendale, Worcester. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Greendale, Worcester 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.
Greendale, Worcester detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Greendale, Worcester: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Greendale, Worcester: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Greendale, Worcester: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Greendale, Worcester: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Greendale, Worcester 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.