Medway, MA: town finances
Fair finances; high debt for its property value; almost no room under the tax cap; an override vote possible.
Budget grade
Better than 35% of MA towns · score 74 of 100
Ability to pay
Top 25% for income and property value
Shown separately; not part of the budget grade. Income per resident $78,143 (Census ACS 2020-24); property value (EQV) per resident $268,322 (DLS 2024).
Chance of an override vote
3 points on our 0-8 scale: Low 0-2, Medium 3-4, High 5+. It ranks towns; it is not a percentage.
Key numbers
| Measure | Medway | Median MA town |
|---|---|---|
| Typical tax bill, FY2026 (average single-family) | $9,786 | $6,755 |
| Tax bill as a share of median household income | 5.6% | 6.4% |
| Tax bill growth per year, FY2016-26 | 3.67% | 3.95% |
| Override vote dates, last 5 years | No | 35% of towns had one |
| Savings (reserves), % of budget, FY2024-26 average | 8.4% | 7.3% |
| Debt, % of property value, FY2023-25 (voter-approved debt at half weight) | 1.80% | 0.70% |
| Debt payments inside the tax cap, % of budget | 3.2% | 1.3% |
| Unused room under the tax cap, FY2026 (% of max levy) | 0.13% | 0.34% |
| School enrollment, 5-year change | +3% | -2% |
| Students per teacher, 2025-26 | 13.4 | 11.4 |
| Median single-family sale price, 2024 | $791k (102 sales) | $614k |
| Single-family price change, 2019-24 | +74.8% | +52.8% |
| Median household income (Census, 2020-24) | $173,750 | $113,750 |
| Population (DLS) | 13,393 | 10,585 |
Main school district: Medway. Shaded = worse than the median town on tax bill share or enrollment. Medians are across all 351 towns with data.
Why this budget grade
Budget grade C, fair (74/100; better than 35% of MA towns): reserves averaged 8.4% of budget over FY2024-26 (state median 7.3%); debt 1.80% of property value with voter-approved debt at half weight (2.22% before; median 0.70%); debt payments inside the tax cap 3.2% of budget (median 1.3%). 38% of debt payments are voter-approved and paid outside the cap.
Why this chance of an override vote
Chance of an override vote: Medium (3 pts): almost no unused room under the tax cap (0.13% of max levy, +3).
Context, not scored
Teacher jobs +1.8% last year; enrollment +3% over 5 yrs; tax bill 5.6% of median income (state median 6.4%).
"pts" are points toward the chance of an override vote. Max levy is the most the town can raise without a vote under Prop 2½. See how the budget grade works.
See this town in the full data table →