Compare towns
Erving vs Palmer Town vs Wales
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Erving has the shortest commute (28 min average).
Palmer Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).
Wales has the most people working from home (13.6%).
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.
| Measure | Erving | Palmer Town | Wales |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,703Lowest |
12,381Highest |
1,929 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | -7.5%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+2.5%Highest MA: +7.4% |
-0.3% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.3±2.4 8% above MA |
47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA |
42.3±4.7Lowest 6% above MA |
| Palmer Town and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.3%±3.2 MA: 19.4% |
15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4% |
23.1%±5.2Highest MA: 19.4% |
| Wales and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.6%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9% |
20.9%±4.2 MA: 17.9% |
19.2%±2Lowest MA: 17.9% |
| Erving and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 24.1%Highest MA: 47.3% |
23.5% MA: 47.3% |
22.4%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9% |
3.4%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9% |
3.3%±1.5 MA: 7.9% |
| Palmer Town and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $77,656±$9kLowest 25% below MA |
$78,480±$8k 25% below MA |
$89,006±$6kHighest 14% below MA |
| Wales and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $271,800±$20k 52% below MA |
$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA |
$296,200±$26kHighest 47% below MA |
| Wales and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,163±$213Highest 34% below MA |
$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA |
$1,104±$242 37% below MA |
| Erving and Wales are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $1,870Lowest 69% below MA |
$4,540Highest 24% below MA |
$4,534 24% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 46.5%±23Lowest MA: 51.8% |
52.9%±10.6 MA: 51.8% |
58%±20.8Highest MA: 51.8% |
| Wales and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.2% MA: 10% |
8.3%Highest MA: 10% |
5.1%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 81.5% MA: 62.5% |
71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
89.4%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA |
1962 2 yrs older than MA |
1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minLowest 4% below MA |
31 min 8% above MA |
35 minHighest 19% above MA |
| Work from home | 3.6%±2Lowest MA: 18.6% |
7.3%±2.7 MA: 18.6% |
13.6%±5.7Highest MA: 18.6% |
| Wales and Palmer Town 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 | — | #252 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Erving | Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical | Wales |
| High school in town | None in town | Pathfinder Vocational Technical | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | — | 9.9 |
— |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.