What stands out worked out from the figures below

Easthampton has the most people working from home (19%).

Barre has the highest household income ($108k).

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	Easthampton	Barre
People
Population	16,086Highest	5,572Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.4% MA: +7.4%
Median age	46±2.6Highest 15% above MA	43.8±8.5Lowest 9% above MA
	Easthampton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	15.8%±5.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Barre and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.9%±3Highest MA: 17.9%	19%±5.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Easthampton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Highest MA: 47.3%	31.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±3.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Easthampton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,673±$7kLowest 31% below MA	$107,727±$13kHighest 4% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,500±$15kLowest 34% below MA	$394,300±$55kHighest 30% below MA
	Barre and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$70Highest 27% below MA	$1,030±$713Lowest 42% below MA
	Easthampton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Lowest 18% below MA	$5,163Highest 14% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	38.2%±27.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Easthampton and Barre are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest MA: 10%	8.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 23% below MA	36 minHighest 24% above MA
Work from home	19%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	11.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#92 of 282 in MA	#134 of 282 in MA
School district	Easthampton	Quabbin
High school in town	Easthampton High	Quabbin Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	12.9Highest
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.