What stands out worked out from the figures below

Alford has the most expensive homes ($794k median).

Greenfield has the most kids (18.3% under 18).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Alford	Greenfield
People
Population	433Lowest	17,664Highest
Median age	63.1±2.4Highest 58% above MA	44.6±2.1Lowest 12% above MA
Kids under 18	5.1%±6.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	43%±4.4Highest MA: 17.9%	23.4%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	63.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	39.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±3.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Greenfield and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,042±$11kHighest 16% above MA	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$794,400±$144kHighest 41% above MA	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,750±$1kHighest about the MA average	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA
	Alford and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,913Lowest 35% below MA	$4,769Highest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield and Alford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest MA: 10%	15.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.3%Highest MA: 62.5%	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 12% below MA	17 minLowest 40% below MA
Work from home	22.2%±6.4Highest MA: 18.6%	11.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#257 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Greenfield
High school in town	—	Greenfield High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.9
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.