Best PlacesHighlands, Lowell, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around Highlands, Lowell, 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.
Highlands, Lowell ranks 2,528th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on clean air by a wide margin, and childcare costs are the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in Highlands, Lowell
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.
Highlands, Lowell's strengths and weaknesses
Where Highlands, Lowell ranks high
- Air qualityBetter than 94% of neighborhoods
- Crime safetyBetter than 93% of neighborhoods
- Heat safetyBetter than 86% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than 85% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than 74% of neighborhoods
Where Highlands, Lowell ranks low
- Cheap childcare$1,897 a month, better than only 9% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 63 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Voter turnoutBetter than only 18% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 22% of neighborhoods
- Short commute28.5 minutes each way, better than only 25% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in Highlands, Lowell
A household needs to earn about $125,000 a year to comfortably buy the median Highlands, Lowell home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $87,251, 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 Highlands, Lowell's effective rate of 0.87%, 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 Highlands, Lowell
Highlands, Lowell runs younger than the country, and households here run larger than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for Highlands, Lowell.
Who works in Highlands, Lowell, and how
Work in Highlands, Lowell centers on manufacturing and health care & social. Unemployment sits above the national rate, and employment has held roughly flat.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 82%
- Work from home 11%
- Transit, walk, or bike 7%
Life in Highlands, Lowell
The coast is about 32 minutes away. Distance to the water changes a lot across Highlands, Lowell, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in Highlands, Lowell, month by month
Highlands, Lowell sees roughly 63 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 87 degrees. January highs sit near 41, with lows near 20. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 41° | 30° | 20° |
| April | 62° | 48° | 36° |
| July | 87° | 74° | 62° |
| October | 67° | 54° | 42° |
Flying in and out of Highlands, Lowell
The nearest airport, Manchester Boston Regional, is about 21 miles away and is a small airport. The nearest major hub is General Edward Lawrence Logan International, about 25 miles away.
The best schools in and around Highlands, Lowell
Schools across Highlands, Lowell average a C−, better than 26% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Center Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
- Charles D HarringtonB · 48% proficient
- Dr Gertrude BaileyC+ · 38% proficient
Top middle schools
- Mccarthy Middle SchoolA− · 55% proficient
- James S Daley Middle SchoolC · 35% proficient
- Dr An Wang SchoolD · 23% proficient
Top high schools
- Chelmsford HighA · 78% proficient
- Lowell HighB− · 45% proficient
- The Career AcademyD+ · 25% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every Highlands, Lowell school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
Highlands, Lowell 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 Highlands, Lowell against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who Highlands, Lowell suits
Families
Schools land around the 26th percentile and crime safety beats 93%.
Retirees
Set weather, quiet, and health care weights on the map to test the fit.
Common questions about living in Highlands, Lowell
Is Highlands, Lowell a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, Highlands, Lowell ranks 2,528th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on clean air, low crime, and heat safety, 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 Highlands, Lowell expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $473,687. The overall cost of living runs about 16% above the national average. Set against a $87,251 median income, cost of living beats 41% of neighborhoods.
Is Highlands, Lowell safe?
Yes, Highlands, Lowell is safer than 93% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $211 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in Highlands, Lowell?
July highs average about 87 degrees, and January highs near 41 with lows near 20. That works out to about 63 pleasant days a year, more than 13% of neighborhoods.
Is Highlands, Lowell good for families?
Schools beat 26% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 93%, and childcare runs $1,897 a month.
Compare Highlands, Lowell with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to Highlands, Lowell. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in Highlands, Lowell 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.
Highlands, Lowell detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for Highlands, Lowell: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in Highlands, Lowell: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of Highlands, Lowell: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in Highlands, Lowell: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
Highlands, Lowell 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.