What stands out worked out from the figures below

Becket has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

Westhampton has the highest household income ($100k).

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	Becket	Westhampton
People
Population	1,962Highest	1,552Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+0.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.6±4.7Highest 24% above MA	49.3±4.9Lowest 23% above MA
	Becket and Westhampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	18%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Westhampton and Becket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±3.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	25.4%±2.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Westhampton and Becket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	47%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±2Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Westhampton and Becket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,417±$29kLowest 23% below MA	$100,000±$7kHighest 4% below MA
	Westhampton and Becket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,000±$82kLowest 36% below MA	$413,200±$24kHighest 26% below MA
	Westhampton and Becket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,107±$1kHighest 20% above MA	$1,304±$229Lowest 26% below MA
	Becket and Westhampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,047Lowest 49% below MA	$6,476Highest 8% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	33.3%±53.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Becket and Westhampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.1%Highest MA: 10%	6.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	98.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	91.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA	1969Lowest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	13.3%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	14.1%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Westhampton and Becket are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Central Berkshire	Hampshire · Westhampton
High school in town	None in town	Hampshire Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.0
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.