Compare towns
Chicopee vs Boston
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Chicopee has the most affordable homes ($275k median).
Boston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).
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.
| Measure | Chicopee | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | ||
| People | ||
| Population | 55,295Lowest |
666,442Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 41.9±1.4Highest 5% above MA |
33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA |
| Kids under 18 | 19.2%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4% |
15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Age 65+ | 19.5%±1.4Highest MA: 17.9% |
13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 22.9%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
54.9%Highest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.7%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9% |
15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | ||
| Household incomemedian | $62,615±$6kLowest 40% below MA |
$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $274,500±$8kLowest 51% below MA |
$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,157±$50Lowest 34% below MA |
$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA |
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $3,847Lowest 36% below MA |
$4,456Highest 26% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 52%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Chicopee and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | ||
| Below poverty line | 17.3%Highest MA: 10% |
16.6%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | ||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 55.7%Highest MA: 62.5% |
35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1958Highest 6 yrs older than MA |
1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | ||
| Average commuteone way | 21 minLowest 27% below MA |
30 minHighest 4% above MA |
| Work from home | 8%±1.8Lowest MA: 18.6% |
21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | ||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #247 of 282 in MA | #258 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Chicopee | Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston |
| High school in town | Chicopee Comprehensive High School | Boston Latin School |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.2Lowest |
18.7Highest |
| 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.