What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k median).

Easthampton has the most homeowners (58.4%).

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	Boston	Easthampton
People
Population	666,442Highest	16,086Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	46±2.6Highest 15% above MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	15.5%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Easthampton and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.9%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	38%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	6.1%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$71,673±$7kLowest 31% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$371,500±$15kLowest 34% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,292±$70Lowest 27% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$4,932Highest 18% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%	45.5%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Boston and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	58.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	22 minLowest 23% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	19%±3.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Boston and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#92 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Easthampton
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Easthampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	9.8Lowest
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.