Norfolk is a somewhat small town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 11,552 people and two associated neighborhoods, Norfolk is the 167th largest community in Massachusetts. Norfolk home prices are not only among the most expensive in Massachusetts, but Norfolk real estate also consistently ranks among the most expensive in America.Norfolk is a decidedly white-collar town, with fully 90.44% of the workforce employed in white-collar jobs, well above the national average. Overall, Norfolk is a town of managers, professionals, and sales and office workers. There are especially a lot of people living in Norfolk who work in management occupations (16.87%), business and financial occupations (13.62%), and sales jobs (11.01%). Also of interest is that Norfolk has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US. Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 25.65% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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. Norfolk is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, Norfolk’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family. One downside of living in Norfolk, however, is that residents on average have to contend with a long commute, spending on average 36.53 minutes every day commuting to work. However, local public transit is widely used. For those who would prefer to avoid driving entirely and leave their car at home, it may be an option to use the transit instead. Despite being a small town, Norfolk has a lot of people using the train to get to and from work every day. Most of these people on the train are using it to get to good jobs in other cities.If knowledge is power, Norfolk is a pretty powerful place. 54.89% of the adults in Norfolk have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns. The per capita income in Norfolk in 2022 was $61,391, which is upper middle income relative to Massachusetts, and wealthy relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $245,564 for a family of four. Norfolk is a somewhat ethnically-diverse town. The people who call Norfolk home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Norfolk residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in Norfolk include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish. The most common language spoken in Norfolk is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.
