Harvard, MA is a town located in Worcester County, Massachusetts and has a population of 6,520 people (2020). The health of the community is well taken care of with several local hospitals and medical facilities such as the Emerson Hospital – Westford Campus, which offers many services including primary care and specialized care for both children and adults. Other medical facilities include Harvard Vanguard Medical Associates, which provides high-quality primary care; as well as convenience care clinics such as Walgreens Healthcare Clinic and MinuteClinic. These facilities provide comprehensive health care services to Harvard residents. In addition to these facilities, Harvard also has a number of public health initiatives in place that promote healthy lifestyle choices such as physical activity programs, nutrition education programs, tobacco prevention initiatives, and mental health support services. All of these efforts help to ensure that the residents of Harvard are able to live healthy lives.
The health of a city has many different factors. It can refer to air quality, water quality, risk of getting respiratory disease or cancer. The people you live around can also affect your health as some places have lower or higher rates of physical activity, increased alcohol intake, smoking, obesity, and cancer rates.
Physicians per Capita
There are 246 physicians per 100,000 population in Harvard. The US average is 210 per 100,000 people.
Health Cost Index
The annual BestPlaces Health Cost Index for the Harvard area is 84.6 (lower=better). The US average is 100.
84.6 / 100
Example: 110 = 10% more expensive than national average.
Water Qualtiy Index
The annual BestPlaces Water Quality Index for the Harvard area is 52 (100=best). The US average is 55.
52 / 100
Note that this is a measure of Watershed quality, not the water that comes from your faucet. The EPA has stated that a healthy watershed is closely related to drinking water quality. The EPA has a complex method of measuring watershed quality using 15 indicators such as pH, chemicals, metals, and bacteria.
Superfund Index
The annual BestPlaces Superfund Index for the Harvard area is 92 (100=best). The US average is 87.
92 / 100
The EPA's Superfund program is responsible for cleaning up some of our nation's most contaminated land. Our index is based on the number of active Superfund sites (over 15,000 in the United States), with particular attention paid to those on the National Priorities List which pose the greatest health danger.
Quick Facts
Commuting can effect your health. The average person in Harvard commutes 33.3 minutes one-way, which is longer than the US average of 26.4 minutes.
Air Quality Index
The annual BestPlaces Air Quality Index for the Harvard area is 75 (100=best). The US average is 58.
75 / 100
This is based on new measures of hazardous air pollutants from the EPA, called the National Air Toxics Assessment. This analysis models respiratory illness and cancer risk down to the zip code level, providing better detail and insight than the previous analysis based solely on results from air monitoring stations.