Massachusetts
High tax burden · COL index 148
Wins 7 categories
California
High tax burden · COL index 142
Wins 5 categories
California's top income tax rate is 13.3% vs Massachusetts's 9%. Property taxes are meaningfully different: Massachusetts averages 1.04% annually vs California's 0.71%. The median home in California costs $790K vs $580K in Massachusetts.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Massachusetts
5
California
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Despite a slight increase in property crime, Northborough is Massachusetts' safest city for the third year in a row. Clinton held on to the #2 spot for the second year in a row. 3 of the safest cities saw decreases in both property crime and violent crime: Scituate, Grafton, and Bedford.