Boston’s suburbs just had their big (but still subtle and tasteful!) moment in the spotlight. A new ranking from GOBankingRates of the “Safest and Richest U.S. Cities to Live in 2025” puts a full 10 Massachusetts towns on the list. And if Lexington and Winchester immediately came to mind, you're not alone: Those leafy enclaves landed at No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. That's out of the entire country. (Western Springs, Illinois, took the top slot.)
Filling out the rest of the top five spots are Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, and Huntington Woods, Michigan.
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Still, the Bay State’s showing is impressive. Along with Lexington, Winchester and Boston, other Massachusetts towns that made the cut include Wellesley (No. 19), Belmont (No. 26), Reading (No. 29), Sharon (No. 37), Hopkinton (No. 39), Newton (No. 40), Needham (No. 41) and Brookline (No. 48). Collectively, they underscore what locals already know: the Boston metro area is packed with communities that balance prosperity with livability, whether that looks like quiet, manicured streets or a short walk to the T.
Boston can pat itself on the back for its suburbs' rankings; no New York City or Los Angeles communities made the top 50. (Actually, no cities in New York made the list at all; same with Florida.) So its presence is a testament to city life here. Sure, Boston's not as serenely safe as Lexington, but you’re not going to catch Lexington hosting the Boston Symphony Orchestra or putting on the kind of drag shows that keep Cambridge hopping until the lights come up.
Boston hums with energy, from Fenway to the Seaport, from the historic Freedom Trail to the avant-garde galleries in the South End. Paradoxically, those qualities that make Boston magnetic may prevent it from hitting the ultra-low crime and ultra-high income benchmarks that more serene enclaves like Lexington and Winchester do.
In other words, if you want low crime and high bank accounts, you’ve got options just a few commuter rail stops away. But if you want grit and brilliance colliding in real time, Boston at No. 41 is exactly where you want to be.