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15. Shrewsbury, MA
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Shrewsbury, MA
15
Top 50 rank: 15
Population: 36,048

Shrewsbury offers scenic small-town life with easy access to jobs in Worcester and Boston. While property taxes increased by 5% last year, the town still has one of the lowest rates in the state. The town center is packed with shops and ethnically-diverse restaurants, and more than $8 million worth of renovations are in store for the public library.

For outdoor fun, there are 75 acres of recreation fields and fountains at Dean Park and crew regattas on Lake Quinsigamond. --K.F.

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Shrewsbury, MA
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$104,008
Job growth % (2010-2012)
3.83%
Median home price (2012)
$288,250
Reading test scores (% above/below average)
34.8%
Math test scores (% above/below average)
45.8%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
0
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
8
Financials
Town stats
Median family income (per year)
$104,008
Family purchasing power (annual, cost-of-living adjusted)
$99,605
Sales tax (state)
6.25%
State income tax rate (highest bracket)
5.25%I
State income tax rate (lowest bracket)
5.25%I
Auto insurance premiums (Average price quotes, for the state)
N.A.
Job growth % (2010-2012)
3.83%
Housing
Median home price (2012)
$288,250
Average property taxes
(2012)
$3,916
Education
Reading test scores (% above/below state average)
34.8%
Test scores math (% above/below average)
45.8%
% students attending public/private schools (located within town limits)
76.4/23.6
Quality of life
Air quality index* (% of days AQI ranked as good)
88.1%
Personal crime incidents (per 1,000)
0
Property crime incidents (per 1,000)
8
Median commute time (in minutes)
21.3
% population with commute 45 mins. or longer
20.3%
% population walk or bike to work
1.6%
Leisure and culture
Arts funding (Dollars per person of state funds spent on arts)
1.2
Weather
Annual rainfall (inches)
42.53
% clear days in the area
55%
High temp in July ° F
81°
Low temp in Jan ° F
15.2°
Meet the neighbors
Median age
39.6
Completed at least some college (% of residents)
74.9%
Married %
60.9%
Divorced %
4.5%
Racial diversity index (100 is national average; higher numbers indicate greater diversity)
86.9
View moreless See Shrewsbury homes for sale
From the September 2013 issue

Source: Onboard Informatics. Details


(I) Income tax notes:
17 states have statutory provision for automatically adjusting to the rate of inflation the dollar values of the income tax brackets, standard deductions, and/or personal exemptions. Massachusetts, Michigan, and Nebraska index the personal exemption only. Oregon does not index the income brackets for $125,000 and over.
Is Shrewsbury a great town, or what?
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  • Shrewsbury real estate
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Fan Favorite Towns

Money picked the top 100. Now it's your turn: Which town will be our fan favorite? 'Like' your town and it might just make it to No. 1.

Town # of Likes
1. Sharon, MA 11,968
2. Apex, NC 10,738
3. Westford, MA 6,023
4. Peachtree City, GA 5,632
5. Hillsborough, NJ 5,329
See the rest
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How we pick the Best Places
Using statistics from data services company Onboard Informatics and other sources, we crunched the numbers in order to zero in on America's best small towns for families. (Last year, we looked at small cities, with populations between 50,000 and 300,000.) More

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