Water hardness in Massachusetts
Typical Massachusetts tap water
38mg/L
2.2gpg
Soft
Population-weighted middle value across 110 Massachusetts cities in the dataset
- People with hard or very hard water
- 2%
- Hardest
- Danvers 130
- Softest
- Southbridge 7
We have hardness numbers for 104 Massachusetts cities; 4 of them are county estimates rather than utility figures. Each city page adds the water system's EPA violation record and a softener size for a typical household.
Dot size follows population. Tap a dot for the city page.
66Soft
34Moderately hard
4Hard
0Very hard
Hardest water in Massachusetts
- Danvers130
- Peabody128
- Hingham123
- Easthampton121
- Dedham110
- Northborough110
- Adams108
- West Springfield107
Softest water in Massachusetts
All cities in Massachusetts
| City | mg/L | gpg | Class | Data | EPA health violations |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston | 17 | 1.0 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Worcester | 42 | 2.4 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Springfield | 24 | 1.4 | Soft | Utility report | 33 |
| Cambridge | 60 | 3.5 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Lowell | 43 | 2.5 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Brockton | 49 | 2.9 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Lynn | 67 | 3.9 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Quincy | 38 | 2.2 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| New Bedford | 18 | 1.0 | Soft | Calculated from utility data | 0 |
| Fall River | 8 | 0.5 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Newton | 32 | 1.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Lawrence | 32 | 1.8 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Somerville | 20 | 1.1 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Framingham | 52 | 3.0 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Haverhill | 40 | 2.4 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Malden | 25 | 1.5 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Waltham | 17 | 1.0 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Brookline | 19 | 1.1 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Taunton | 47 | 2.7 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Revere | 87 | 5.1 | Moderately hard | County estimate | 0 |
| Medford | 21 | 1.2 | Soft | Utility report | 2 |
| Weymouth | 28 | 1.7 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Peabody | 128 | 7.5 | Hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Chicopee | 42 | 2.5 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Methuen | 49 | 2.9 | Soft | Calculated from utility data | 0 |
| Everett | 16 | 0.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Barnstable | 27 | 1.6 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Attleboro | 56 | 3.3 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Arlington | 17 | 1.0 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Salem | 67 | 3.9 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Leominster | 10 | 0.6 | Soft | Utility report | 2 |
| Woburn | 99 | 5.8 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Beverly | 70 | 4.1 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Pittsfield | 28 | 1.6 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Marlborough | 67 | 3.9 | Moderately hard | County estimate | 0 |
| Fitchburg | 41 | 2.4 | Soft | County estimate | 0 |
| Amherst | 30 | 1.7 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Westfield | 88 | 5.2 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Chelsea | 16 | 0.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Braintree | 55 | 3.2 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Holyoke | 50 | 2.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Watertown | 16 | 0.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Randolph | 68 | 4.0 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Lexington | 33 | 1.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Franklin | 69 | 4.0 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Needham | 96 | 5.6 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| North Attleborough | 71 | 4.2 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Norwood | 46 | 2.7 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Northampton | 55 | 3.2 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Gloucester | 71 | 4.1 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Wellesley | 89 | 5.2 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Melrose | 18 | 1.1 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Bridgewater | 62 | 3.6 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| West Springfield | 107 | 6.3 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Agawam | 60 | 3.5 | Soft | Utility report | 14 |
| Saugus | 10 | 0.6 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Milton | 44 | 2.6 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Danvers | 130 | 7.6 | Hard | Utility report | 1 |
| Milford | 37 | 2.2 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Wakefield | 51 | 3.0 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Belmont | 16 | 0.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Burlington | 104 | 6.0 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Reading | 22 | 1.3 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Dedham | 110 | 6.4 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 1 |
| Wilmington | 68 | 4.0 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 1 |
| Stoneham | 16 | 0.9 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Winchester | 20 | 1.2 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Gardner | 41 | 2.4 | Soft | County estimate | 1 |
| Marblehead | 16 | 0.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Newburyport | 100 | 5.8 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 1 |
| Somerset | 45 | 2.6 | Soft | Utility report | 13 |
| Southbridge | 7 | 0.4 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Amesbury | 40 | 2.4 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Abington | 67 | 3.9 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 2 |
| Easthampton | 121 | 7.1 | Hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Swampscott | 38 | 2.2 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Lynnfield | 72 | 4.2 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| North Adams | 65 | 3.8 | Moderately hard | Calculated from utility data | 1 |
| Palmer | 45 | 2.6 | Soft | Utility report | 2 |
| Webster | 60 | 3.5 | Soft | Calculated from utility data | 0 |
| Holbrook | 74 | 4.3 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Maynard | 86 | 5.0 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 5 |
| Andover | 38 | 2.2 | Soft | Calculated from utility data | 2 |
| Middleborough Center | 42 | 2.4 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Plymouth | 26 | 1.5 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Whitinsville | 28 | 1.7 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Mansfield Center | 50 | 2.9 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Clinton | 14 | 0.8 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Pinehurst | 62 | 3.6 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 3 |
| Northborough | 110 | 6.4 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Cochituate | 93 | 5.5 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| East Falmouth | 30 | 1.8 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Kingston | 39 | 2.3 | Soft | Utility report | 1 |
| Foxborough | 48 | 2.8 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Medfield | 95 | 5.6 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 1 |
| North Scituate | 35 | 2.1 | Soft | Utility report | 5 |
| Sharon | 47 | 2.8 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| West Concord | 57 | 3.3 | Soft | Utility report | 0 |
| Walpole | 66 | 3.9 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Salisbury | 107 | 6.3 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Scituate | 68 | 4.0 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 8 |
| Adams | 108 | 6.3 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Oxford | 61 | 3.6 | Moderately hard | Utility report | 0 |
| Hingham | 123 | 7.2 | Hard | Utility report | 0 |
Questions
Is Massachusetts water hard?
The typical Massachusetts resident gets about 38 mg/L (2.2 gpg), which is soft. About 2% of people in the cities we track have hard or very hard water.
Which city in Massachusetts has the hardest water?
Among 104 cities with pages here, Danvers is highest at 130 mg/L.
Which city in Massachusetts has the softest water?
Southbridge, at 7 mg/L.
Other states
- Alabama73
- Alaska110
- Arizona180
- Arkansas39
- California121
- Colorado97
- Connecticut53
- Delaware87
- District of Columbia117
- Florida120
- Georgia28
- Hawaii55
- Idaho118
- Illinois139
- Indiana178
- Iowa183
- Kansas138
- Kentucky134
- Louisiana102
- Maine16
- Maryland105
- Michigan112
- Minnesota160
- Mississippi38
- Missouri121
- Montana116
- Nebraska149
- Nevada232
- New Hampshire20
- New Jersey80
- New Mexico137
- New York31
- North Carolina31
- North Dakota133
- Ohio113
- Oklahoma152
- Oregon24
- Pennsylvania127
- Rhode Island42
- South Carolina32
- South Dakota124
- Tennessee89
- Texas112
- Utah231
- Vermont62
- Virginia65
- Washington36
- West Virginia106
- Wisconsin170
- Wyoming191
Hardness data: TapWaterData US Water Hardness, CC BY 4.0. Population: US Census Bureau. Violations: EPA ECHO. How we use them.