What stands out worked out from the figures below

Great Barrington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1%).

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Great Barrington	Dalton
People
Population	7,202Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.2 24% above MA	49.7±5.8 24% above MA
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28.7%±4.7Highest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Great Barrington and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.8%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,132±$11kHighest 19% below MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
	Great Barrington and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$494,300±$61kHighest 12% below MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,314±$239Highest 25% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,935Highest about the MA average	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.9%±15.2Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Great Barrington and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest MA: 10%	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Highest 6 yrs older than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 25% below MA	22 minHighest 24% below MA
Work from home	23.6%±6.8Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Great Barrington 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	#139 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Berkshire Hills	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Monument Mt Regional High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	10.9Highest
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.