Quality of life encompasses a wide range of attributes – here, we examine factors including the arts, transportation, public safety, and civic engagement. In MetroWest, challenges in these areas include drug addiction and transportation difficulties, while a growing arts sector, protected open spaces and falling crime rates are areas of strength.

Drug-related deaths are not only an individual tragedy, but also profoundly affect surviving relatives and friends. Fatal overdoses in MetroWest have nearly tripled since 2007 to a rate of 23 deaths per 100,000 residents in 2020, paralleling a tripling of the statewide drug rate (from 10 to 30 per 100,000).

Getting around MetroWest poses daily challenges for many residents. About 1 in 10 residents in 2016-20 reported having no access to a vehicle, making it difficult to get to work and access a variety of other resources. Commuting to work continues to be done mainly by car, though the share of residents driving alone to work fell slightly since 2000 to 75% in 2016-20 as public transit, biking and walking all increased slightly.

Arts and cultural institutions attract visitors and investment, contributing to the vitality of a region. In 2020, MetroWest had somewhat fewer establishments in the Arts, Entertainment and Recreation sector (5.1 per 10,000 residents) than the state as a whole (5.7), but the regional sector has grown since 2000.

Today, internet access is a crucial indicator to assess quality of life. In 2016-20, 91% of households in MetroWest had access to the Internet, slightly above the state rate of 88%.

Voting participation and charitable giving are two indicators that speak to levels of civic engagement. In MetroWest, voter participation has increased overall since 2000 in both midterm and presidential elections. 68% of MetroWest voted in the 2020 presidential elections and 52% in the 2018 midterm elections, both slightly higher than the statewide rate. Turnout in MetroWest in 2020 was higher than at the national level (62%).

In 2019, MetroWest residents contributed 1.7% of income, or roughly $5.4 billion, to charity, down 0.1% from 2011 and similar to the statewide rate.

Crime detracts from the quality of life and fortunately it is decreasing in MetroWest. There were 6.5 crimes per 1,000 MetroWest residents in 2020, lower than the statewide rate of 10.2 and down 27% since 2011.

Incarceration rates vary widely across racial and ethnic groups both in MetroWest and throughout the state. In 2018, the incarceration rate for Hispanic or Latino residents in MetroWest was 4 times higher than that of white residents; among African American residents, the rate was 5 times higher than among white residents.