Bridgewater is a medium-sized city located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 28,780 people and six associated neighborhoods, Bridgewater is the 68th largest community in Massachusetts. Housing costs in Bridgewater are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.Unlike some cities, Bridgewater isn’t mainly white- or blue-collar. Instead, the most prevalent occupations for people in Bridgewater are a mix of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, Bridgewater is a city of professionals, managers, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Bridgewater who work in management occupations (13.35%), office and administrative support (10.82%), and teaching (8.26%). Also of interest is that Bridgewater has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. A relatively large number of people in Bridgewater telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 10.19% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.In addition, Bridgewater is a college town. There are a lot of students in Bridgewater attending college, and as a result Bridgewater provides a number of services, amenities and opportunities geared to the needs and activities of students. Bridgewater’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the nation, making it a very safe place to live. One downside of living in Bridgewater is that it can take a long time to commute to work. In Bridgewater, the average commute to work is 31.17 minutes, which is quite a bit higher than the national average. Bridgewater is one of the most well-educated cities in the nation. 41.92% of adults in Bridgewater have at least a bachelor's degree. Compare that to the average community in America, which has just 21.84% with a bachelor's degree or higher. The per capita income in Bridgewater in 2022 was $46,448, which is lower middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $185,792 for a family of four. However, Bridgewater contains both very wealthy and poor people as well. Bridgewater is a somewhat ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Bridgewater home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Bridgewater residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Bridgewater include Irish, Italian, English, Portuguese, and German. The most common language spoken in Bridgewater is English. Other important languages spoken here include Portuguese and Spanish.
