What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k median).

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	Gardner
People
Population	16,086Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.2% MA: +7.4%
Median age	46±2.6Highest 15% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Easthampton and Gardner 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%	18.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Gardner 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%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Easthampton and Gardner 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%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Easthampton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,673±$7kHighest 31% below MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
	Easthampton and Gardner 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	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$70Highest 27% below MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,932Highest 18% below MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.5%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Gardner and Easthampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest MA: 10%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 23% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	19%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Easthampton and Gardner 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	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Easthampton	Gardner
High school in town	Easthampton High	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	13.5Highest
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.