Living in Dartmouth, MA
Small city in Massachusetts
Dartmouth is a small city in Massachusetts, home to about 33,000 people, with 1.1 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly houses.
Is Dartmouth a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Easy flying: PVD is 24 mi away
- Mild summers: highs around 80°F
- Low natural disaster risk: 10 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Safe: violent crime is 0.6× the US rate (FBI 2019)
👎 Cons
- Higher taxes: about $3,502 state income tax per resident, 0.89% property tax
- Few dog parks: 2 within 9 mi
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer outdoor escapes: no big hills or water close by
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Dartmouth ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Dartmouth: common questions
What is the cost of living in Dartmouth?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $593k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,830 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 102, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Dartmouth?
Massachusetts collects about $3,502 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.89% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Dartmouth safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.6× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Dartmouth?
Public schools in Dartmouth test well above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 14 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Dartmouth?
Dartmouth has cold winters: winter days average around 41°F and summer days around 80°F, with roughly 33″ of snow a year.
Does Dartmouth get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and hurricanes: 10 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.08 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Dartmouth?
The nearest major airport is PVD, about 24 mi away.
How Dartmouth scores
Each bar compares Dartmouth with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Dartmouth
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Massachusetts.
Is Dartmouth right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.