What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

Northampton has the most people working from home (24.1%).

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	Gardner	Northampton
People
Population	21,148Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA
	Gardner and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Gardner and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA	$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA
	Northampton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA	$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA	$5,680Highest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.7%Highest MA: 10%	13.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#273 of 282 in MA	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Gardner	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Gardner High	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	14.7Highest
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.