What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Dalton has the most kids (20.6% under 18).

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	Dalton
People
Population	16,086Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-6.3% MA: +7.4%
Median age	46±2.6Lowest 15% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton and Easthampton 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%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.9%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dalton and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Lowest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,673±$7kLowest 31% below MA	$79,438±$8kHighest 24% below MA
	Dalton and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$371,500±$15kHighest 34% below MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$70Highest 27% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Highest 18% below MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Easthampton and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Highest MA: 10%	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 23% below MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	19%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Easthampton 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	#92 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Easthampton	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Easthampton High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	10.9Highest
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.