What stands out worked out from the figures below

Belchertown has the most affordable homes ($371k median).

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Belchertown	Harvard
People
Population	15,393Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.9±1.6Lowest 10% above MA	44.1±4.7Highest 10% above MA
	Harvard and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.1%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Harvard and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%	16.3%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Belchertown and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Belchertown and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,068±$15kLowest 4% above MA	$213,996±$24kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,300±$12kLowest 34% below MA	$833,600±$54kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$230Lowest 27% below MA	$1,321±$424Highest 25% below MA
	Harvard and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,810Lowest 3% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±21.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	72.5%±51.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harvard and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.5%Highest MA: 10%	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	32 minHighest 9% above MA
Work from home	14%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	44.8%±6.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#168 of 282 in MA	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Belchertown	Harvard
High school in town	Belchertown High	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	11.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.