What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deerfield has the highest household income ($106k).

Montague has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.7%).

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	Deerfield	Montague
People
Population	5,158Lowest	8,482Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	51.8±3.6Highest 30% above MA	44.3±3.1Lowest 11% above MA
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	19%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Montague and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.5%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Montague and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	37.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.9%±3.4Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Deerfield and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,136±$14kHighest about the MA average	$70,510±$12kLowest 32% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$414,900±$37kHighest 26% below MA	$282,100±$17kLowest 50% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,334±$318Highest 24% below MA	$1,207±$115Lowest 31% below MA
	Deerfield and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,824Highest about the MA average	$3,922Lowest 35% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±15.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest MA: 10%	11.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	62.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 40% below MA	21 minHighest 28% below MA
Work from home	17.5%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Deerfield and Montague 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	#156 of 282 in MA	#265 of 282 in MA
School district	Deerfield · Frontier	Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical · Gill-Montague
High school in town	Frontier Regional	Franklin County Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	11.7Highest
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.