Town guide

Carlisle, Massachusetts

Carlisle is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, home to about 5,239 people across 15 square miles. Its ZIP code is 01741.

Homes sold for a median of $411 per square foot in the three months ending August 2026, a seller’s market.

Population5,239343 per sq mi
Median home value$1,103,900Census, as estimated by owners
Price per sq ft$411Sold homes, 3 months to August 2026
Sold over asking53%Latest 3 months

ZIP codes in Carlisle

1 ZIP code

Each card is that ZIP code’s whole market, including any part outside Carlisle. Seller’s market: under 4 months of supply; buyer’s market: over 6. Methodology

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We’re writing up Carlisle’s story and what everyday life there is like, for people thinking about moving in.

  • History
  • What it’s like to live there
  • Getting around
  • Things to do

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Around Carlisle

Distances

Nearest major airportBoston Logan International Airport (BOS)21 miles away
Closer regional airportLaurence G Hanscom Field (BED)5 miles away
Nearest city of 250,000+Boston, MA22 miles away
Nearest city of 1 million+New York, NY186 miles away

Straight-line distances from the center of Carlisle; driving is longer.

Source: Airports from OurAirports (scheduled passenger service); city centers and populations from the U.S. Census Bureau.

Who represents Carlisle

Source: Members of Congress from the congress-legislators project; districts from the Census Bureau’s relationship files; governor and mayor from Wikidata.

Population over time

Carlisle had 5,237 residents in the 2020 census, up 11% since 2000.

It’s the 248th largest of 351 towns in Massachusetts by population.

Middlesex County grew from 565,696 residents in 1900 to 1,632,002 in 2020.

Carlisle population by census2000: 4,717, 2010: 4,852, 2020: 5,2374,71720004,85220105,2372020

Middlesex County, 1900–2020

Middlesex County population, 1900 to 20201900: 565,696, 1910: 669,915, 1920: 778,352, 1930: 934,924, 1940: 971,390, 1950: 1,064,569, 1960: 1,238,742, 1970: 1,397,268, 1980: 1,367,034, 1990: 1,398,468, 2000: 1,465,396, 2010: 1,503,085, 2020: 1,632,002566K’00’10778K’20’30971K’40’501.2M’60’701.4M’80’901.5M’00’101.6M’20

Source: U.S. Census Bureau decennial censuses (counties 1900–1990 from the Bureau’s historical county file).

Weather by month

Average highs peak around 84°F in summer, and winter lows average 18°F. About 49 inches of rain and melted snow fall in a typical year, with about 59 inches of snow.

Average high and low temperature and precipitation by month near CarlisleJan: high 36°F, low 18°F, 3.8 in; Feb: high 39°F, low 19°F, 3.4 in; Mar: high 47°F, low 27°F, 4.8 in; Apr: high 59°F, low 36°F, 3.9 in; May: high 70°F, low 46°F, 3.8 in; Jun: high 78°F, low 55°F, 4.1 in; Jul: high 84°F, low 61°F, 3.8 in; Aug: high 82°F, low 60°F, 3.9 in; Sep: high 74°F, low 52°F, 3.7 in; Oct: high 62°F, low 41°F, 4.9 in; Nov: high 51°F, low 31°F, 4.1 in; Dec: high 41°F, low 23°F, 4.8 in36°18°Jan3.839°19°Feb3.447°27°Mar4.859°36°Apr3.970°46°May3.878°55°Jun4.184°61°Jul3.882°60°Aug3.974°52°Sep3.762°41°Oct4.951°31°Nov4.141°23°Dec4.8Rain and melted snow, inches

Source: NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bedford, MA weather station (5 miles away).

Jobs in Middlesex County

963,417 jobs at 44,624 businesses in Middlesex County. The biggest industries by employees:

Largest industries in Middlesex CountyProfessional services: 159,471 jobs; Health care and social assistance: 126,002 jobs; Educational services: 92,086 jobs; Retail trade: 79,115 jobs; Hotels and restaurants: 68,258 jobs; Manufacturing: 67,626 jobs; Information: 67,368 jobs; Wholesale trade: 51,000 jobsProfessional services 17% Health care and social assistance 13% Educational services 10% Retail trade 8% Hotels and restaurants 7% Manufacturing 7% Information 7% Wholesale trade 5%

Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns 2023 (private employers; jobs counted where people work).

Health care

28 doctors and other health care providers list an office in Carlisle.

Nearest hospitals

  • Bedford Va Medical CenterVA hospital · no emergency room · Bedford4.9 miles
  • Emerson Hospital -General hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 5 of 5 · W Concord5.4 miles
  • Lahey Hospital & Medical Center, BurlingtonGeneral hospital · emergency room · CMS rating 4 of 5 · Burlington7.8 miles

Providers with an office here

Primary care doctors1
Specialist doctors4
Dentists5
Nurse practitioners and physician assistants2
Mental health providers11
Physical and occupational therapists2
Optometrists3

Source: Hospitals from CMS Hospital General Information (ratings are CMS overall star ratings); straight-line distances; providers from the CMS National Plan and Provider Enumeration System (NPPES), by practice address and primary specialty.

Places in and around Carlisle

Parks (5 nearby)

  • Banta-Davis Recreation Area · 42 acres0.6 mi
  • Spalding Field · 10 acres0.4 mi
  • Robbins Mill Recreation Area · 3 acres2.6 mi
  • Diment Park · 2 acres0.3 mi

Grocery stores

  • Acton Asian Market4.0 mi
  • Donelan's4.1 mi
  • Whole Foods Market4.4 mi
  • Summer Street Grocers4.5 mi

Pharmacies

  • CVS Pharmacy3.9 mi
  • CVS Pharmacy4.4 mi
  • Walgreens4.5 mi
  • Walgreens4.6 mi

Libraries (3 nearby)

  • Gleason Public Library0.2 mi
  • Ruth C Wilkins Library0.2 mi
  • Warburg Library2.3 mi

Museums

  • YV Art Museum3.4 mi
  • Job Lane Farm Museum3.6 mi
  • Boston & Maine Railroad Freight House4.8 mi
  • Budd Rail Diesel Car4.8 mi
  • Bronson Alcott School of Philosophy4.9 mi

Theaters and performance venues (1 nearby)

  • Wood Theatre & Arts Center2.2 mi

Counts are within about 2.5 miles of the center of town.

Source: Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (openstreetmap.org/copyright), as mapped by volunteers; it can miss places or include closed ones.

Colleges, teams and notable people

Established in 1651.

Source: Wikidata (wikidata.org), the free knowledge base; people are listed by place of birth.

Schools in Carlisle

Public schools here are run by Carlisle. Check each district’s attendance zones for a specific address.

Public schools (1)
SchoolGradesStudentsTypeDistance
Carlisle SchoolCarlislePre-K–8612Public0.2 mi

Source: U.S. Department of Education, NCES: Common Core of Data (2024-2025) for public schools. Listed by address; we don’t rate schools.

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Towns near Carlisle

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Town boundaries don’t always match ZIP codes: a ZIP code can cross into neighboring towns, and a town can share a ZIP code with its neighbors. Facts describe the town itself; market figures describe whole ZIP codes.