What Hardiness Zone Is Massachusetts?

USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map · 675 ZIP codes · Data updated 2026-10-28

Quick answer

Massachusetts spans USDA hardiness zones 5b–7b on the 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map. The most common zone is 6b, covering 42% of Massachusetts's ZIP codes, followed by zone 6a (23%). Zone 6b means the coldest night of an average winter reaches −5°F to 0°F (−21°C to −18°C). Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.

Massachusetts hardiness zones by share of ZIP codes

Zone 5b8% · 56 ZIPs

Zone 6a23% · 154 ZIPs

Zone 6b42% · 281 ZIPs

Zone 7a23% · 153 ZIPs

Zone 7b5% · 31 ZIPs

What the zones mean for Massachusetts gardeners

Coldest and warmest towns: among towns with NOAA weather stations, Rowe 3NE (1,735 ft) is in zone 5b, while W Harwich (15 ft) is in zone 7b. That is a difference of about 20°F in the coldest night of a typical winter.
Same zone, different frost dates: within zone 6b, the median last spring frost ranges from April 13 at Lawrence to May 4 at Beverly, 21 days apart. Your zone tells you which perennials survive winter; your frost dates tell you when to plant.

Typical frost dates in each Massachusetts zone

Medians across NOAA weather stations in each zone. Colder zones usually have later spring frosts, but local terrain can shift the dates by weeks.

Zone	Last spring frost	First fall frost	Stations
5b	May 6	October 4	9
6a	May 3	October 9	12
6b	April 27	October 14	29
7a	April 22	October 27	12
7b	April 13	November 4	4

Hardiness zones for Massachusetts cities

Zones at the National Weather Service stations, mostly city airports, with their median frost dates.


Bedford Hanscom Field	6b	−5°F to 0°F	133	Apr 28	Oct 10
Beverly Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	108	Apr 24	Oct 17
Blue Hill	6b	−5°F to 0°F	625	Apr 19	Oct 24
Boston Logan Intl Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	12	Apr 4	Nov 9
Chatham Municipal Airport	7b	5°F to 10°F	68	Apr 13	Nov 4
Fitchburg Municipal Airport	6a	−10°F to −5°F	348	Apr 29	Oct 11
Hyannis Barnstable Municipal Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	55	Apr 22	Oct 28
Lawrence Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	149	Apr 21	Oct 21
Nantucket Memorial Airport	7b	5°F to 10°F	45	Apr 13	Nov 8
New Bedford Municipal Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	80	Apr 29	Oct 15
North Adams Harriman Airport	5b	−15°F to −10°F	654	May 10	Oct 4
Norwood Memorial Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	50	Apr 25	Oct 9
Orange Municipal Airport	5b	−15°F to −10°F	555	May 4	Oct 8
Pittsfield Municipal Airport	5b	−15°F to −10°F	1,194	May 5	Oct 5
Plymouth Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	149	Apr 30	Oct 16
Taunton Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	43	May 2	Oct 8
Vineyard Haven Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	68	May 7	Oct 9
Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport	6a	−10°F to −5°F	271	May 3	Oct 8
Worcester Regional Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,000	Apr 23	Oct 21

Hardiness zones for 66 towns in Massachusetts

Each NOAA weather station is shown with the USDA zone of the nearest ZIP code (within 8 miles). Coldest night is the zone's range for the average annual extreme minimum temperature. Click a column to sort.

Filter by town


Amherst	6a	−10°F to −5°F	145	May 5	Oct 8
Ashburnham	5b	−15°F to −10°F	1,108	May 2	Oct 13
Ashburnham N	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,146	May 5	Oct 7
Barre Falls Dam	6a	−10°F to −5°F	825	May 12	Oct 1
Bedford	6b	−5°F to 0°F	160	Apr 27	Oct 13
Bedford Hanscom Field	6b	−5°F to 0°F	133	Apr 28	Oct 10
Belchertown	6a	−10°F to −5°F	550	May 3	Oct 14
Beverly	6b	−5°F to 0°F	65	May 4	Oct 12
Beverly Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	108	Apr 24	Oct 17
Birch Hill Dam	5b	−15°F to −10°F	855	May 6	Oct 1
Blue Hill	6b	−5°F to 0°F	625	Apr 19	Oct 24
Boston Logan Intl Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	12	Apr 4	Nov 9
Bridgewater	6b	−5°F to 0°F	40	May 1	Oct 9
Brockton	6b	−5°F to 0°F	75	Apr 22	Oct 19
Buffumville Lake	6b	−5°F to 0°F	520	May 1	Oct 10
Chatham Municipal Airport	7b	5°F to 10°F	68	Apr 13	Nov 4
E Brimfield Lake	6a	−10°F to −5°F	700	Apr 28	Oct 15
E Hawley	5b	−15°F to −10°F	1,647	May 17	Oct 1
E Sandwich	7a	0°F to 5°F	150	Apr 26	Oct 26
E Wareham	7a	0°F to 5°F	30	Apr 21	Oct 24
Edgartown	7b	5°F to 10°F	30	Apr 17	Nov 3
Fitchburg Coop	6a	−10°F to −5°F	665	May 1	Oct 9
Fitchburg Municipal Airport	6a	−10°F to −5°F	348	Apr 29	Oct 11
Greenfield #3	6a	−10°F to −5°F	130	May 1	Oct 11
Groveland	6a	−10°F to −5°F	30	May 3	Oct 8
Haverhill	6b	−5°F to 0°F	20	May 1	Oct 12
Hingham	7a	0°F to 5°F	35	Apr 25	Oct 22
Hyannis	7a	0°F to 5°F	60	Apr 16	Oct 30
Hyannis Barnstable Municipal Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	55	Apr 22	Oct 28
Jamaica Plain	6b	−5°F to 0°F	95	Apr 19	Oct 23
Lawrence	6b	−5°F to 0°F	50	Apr 13	Oct 28
Lawrence Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	149	Apr 21	Oct 21
Lenox Dale	5b	−15°F to −10°F	1,004	May 7	Oct 3
Leverett #2	6a	−10°F to −5°F	315	May 2	Oct 9
Lowell	6b	−5°F to 0°F	110	Apr 30	Oct 10
Marblehead	7a	0°F to 5°F	84	Apr 25	Oct 20
Maynard 2	6b	−5°F to 0°F	205	May 2	Oct 6
Middleboro	6b	−5°F to 0°F	45	Apr 23	Oct 16
Middleton	6b	−5°F to 0°F	110	May 3	Oct 9
Nantucket Memorial Airport	7b	5°F to 10°F	45	Apr 13	Nov 8
Natick	6b	−5°F to 0°F	180	Apr 26	Oct 12
New Bedford Coop	7a	0°F to 5°F	18	Apr 11	Nov 5
New Bedford Municipal Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	80	Apr 29	Oct 15
North Adams Harriman Airport	5b	−15°F to −10°F	654	May 10	Oct 4
Norton W	6b	−5°F to 0°F	95	Apr 27	Oct 15
Norwood Memorial Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	50	Apr 25	Oct 9
Orange Municipal Airport	5b	−15°F to −10°F	555	May 4	Oct 8
Pittsfield Municipal Airport	5b	−15°F to −10°F	1,194	May 5	Oct 5
Plymouth Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	149	Apr 30	Oct 16
Plymouth-kingston	7a	0°F to 5°F	45	Apr 15	Nov 1
Reading	6b	−5°F to 0°F	110	Apr 25	Oct 17
Rochester	6b	−5°F to 0°F	65	Apr 23	Oct 21
Rowe 3NE	5b	−15°F to −10°F	1,735	May 14	Oct 4
Southbridge 3 SW	6b	−5°F to 0°F	685	Apr 25	Oct 13
Taunton	6b	−5°F to 0°F	20	Apr 22	Oct 19
Taunton Municipal Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	43	May 2	Oct 8
Tully Lake	5b	−15°F to −10°F	680	Apr 25	Oct 17
Vineyard Haven Airport	7a	0°F to 5°F	68	May 7	Oct 9
W Harwich	7b	5°F to 10°F	15	Apr 13	Nov 3
Walpole 2	6b	−5°F to 0°F	170	Apr 27	Oct 14
West Medway	6b	−5°F to 0°F	210	Apr 30	Oct 9
Westfield 3 SW	6b	−5°F to 0°F	430	Apr 28	Oct 17
Westfield Barnes Municipal Airport	6a	−10°F to −5°F	271	May 3	Oct 8
Woods Hole Golf Club	7a	0°F to 5°F	80	Apr 11	Nov 11
Worcester Regional Airport	6b	−5°F to 0°F	1,000	Apr 23	Oct 21
Worthington	6a	−10°F to −5°F	1,285	May 13	Oct 2

Frequently asked questions

What hardiness zone is Massachusetts?

Massachusetts is in USDA hardiness zones 5b–7b on the 2023 USDA Plant Hardiness Zone Map. Zone 6b is the most common, covering 42% of Massachusetts's ZIP codes, and zone 6a covers 23%. Enter your ZIP code for your exact zone.

What does zone 6b mean?

Zone 6b means the average annual extreme minimum temperature, the coldest night of a typical winter, is −5°F to 0°F (−21°C to −18°C). Perennials, shrubs and trees rated for zone 6b or colder should survive winter there.

What is the coldest hardiness zone in Massachusetts?

Zone 5b is the coldest zone mapped in Massachusetts, found around Rowe 3NE, and zone 7b is the warmest, found around W Harwich.

Did Massachusetts's hardiness zones change in 2023?

The USDA released a new Plant Hardiness Zone Map in November 2023, based on 1991–2020 temperatures instead of 1976–2005. About half of the United States shifted half a zone warmer. Check your ZIP code here, because plant tags and older books may still list your 2012 zone.

When should I plant in zone 6b?

Hardiness zones don't set planting dates; frost dates do. Inside zone 6b in Massachusetts, the median last spring frost varies from April 13 to May 4. Look up your local frost dates and plant tender crops such as tomatoes after the 10%-risk last-frost date.

Zone and frost dates: use both

Your hardiness zone answers one question: will this plant survive the winter here? Choose perennials, shrubs, trees and bulbs rated for your zone or a colder one. For vegetables and annuals, what matters is the length of the frost-free season. See Massachusetts frost dates by town, or get a planting calendar for your ZIP code with start-indoors, transplant and sowing dates for 30 crops.

Sources and method

Zones are from the USDA 2023 Plant Hardiness Zone Map ZIP-code files published by the PRISM Climate Group, Oregon State University, based on 1991–2020 minimum temperatures. ZIP codes are assigned to states by USPS prefix. Town zones use the ZIP code nearest each NOAA 1991–2020 Climate Normals station. This is an independent tool, not an official USDA site. Full methodology.