Winchester is a medium-sized town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 22,640 people and five associated neighborhoods, Winchester is the 90th largest community in Massachusetts. Winchester has a large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.
Winchester home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Winchester real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.
Also of interest is that Winchester has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
And if you like science, one thing you'll find is that Winchester has lots of scientists living in town - whether they be life scientists, physical scientists (like astronomers), or social scientists (like geographers!). So, if you're scientific-minded, you might like it here too.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 27.21% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
In addition, Winchester is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.
Because of many things, Winchester is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making Winchester a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, Winchester has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, Winchester’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family.
One downside of living in Winchester, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 33.96 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead.
Although the majority of commuting trips in the town are by private automobile, Winchester is somewhat unusual for a town of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the subway helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Winchester area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.
If knowledge is power, Winchester is a pretty powerful place. 77.28% of the adults in Winchester have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.
The per capita income in Winchester in 2022 was $100,383, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $401,532 for a family of four.
Winchester is a very ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Winchester home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Winchester residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Winchester include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish.
Foreign born people are also an important part of Winchester's cultural character, accounting for 19.63% of the town’s population.
The most common language spoken in Winchester is English. Other important languages spoken here include Chinese and French.