What stands out worked out from the figures below

Belchertown has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

Palmer Town has the most affordable homes ($271k median).

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	Palmer Town
People
Population	15,393Highest	12,381Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.9±1.6Lowest 10% above MA	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA
	Palmer Town and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town 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%	20.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.3%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.7%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,068±$15kHighest 4% above MA	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,300±$12kHighest 34% below MA	$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$230Highest 27% below MA	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,810Highest 3% below MA	$4,540Lowest 24% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±21.8Highest MA: 51.8%	52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town 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%	8.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	31 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	14%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#168 of 282 in MA	#252 of 282 in MA
School district	Belchertown	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Belchertown High	Pathfinder Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	9.9Lowest
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.