What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

Great Barrington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1%).

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	Dalton	Great Barrington
People
Population	6,256Lowest	7,202Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±5.8 24% above MA	49.7±4.2 24% above MA
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%	14.9%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	28.7%±4.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Great Barrington and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	49.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	10.8%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA	$84,132±$11kHighest 19% below MA
	Great Barrington and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA	$494,300±$61kHighest 12% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA	$1,314±$239Highest 25% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA	$5,935Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%	60.9%±15.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Great Barrington and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%	9.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1958Highest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 24% below MA	22 minLowest 25% below MA
Work from home	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	23.6%±6.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Great Barrington and Dalton 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	#192 of 282 in MA	#139 of 282 in MA
School district	Central Berkshire	Berkshire Hills
High school in town	Wahconah Regional High	Monument Mt Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.2Lowest
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.