What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Deerfield has the highest household income ($106k).

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	Deerfield
People
Population	7,202Highest	5,158Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1%Highest MA: +7.4%	-0.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.2Lowest 24% above MA	51.8±3.6Highest 30% above MA
	Deerfield and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%	13.2%±3.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Great Barrington and Deerfield 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%	22.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Great Barrington and Deerfield 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%	44.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.8%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%	7.9%±3.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Great Barrington and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,132±$11kLowest 19% below MA	$106,136±$14kHighest about the MA average
	Deerfield and Great Barrington 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	$414,900±$37kLowest 26% below MA
	Great Barrington and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,314±$239Lowest 25% below MA	$1,334±$318Highest 24% below MA
	Deerfield and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,935Highest about the MA average	$5,824Lowest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.9%±15.2Highest MA: 51.8%	26.1%±15.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest MA: 10%	7.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	78.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minHighest 25% below MA	18 minLowest 40% below MA
Work from home	23.6%±6.8Highest MA: 18.6%	17.5%±6.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Great Barrington and Deerfield 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	#156 of 282 in MA
School district	Berkshire Hills	Deerfield · Frontier
High school in town	Monument Mt Regional High	Frontier Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	11.1Highest
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.