What stands out worked out from the figures below

Great Barrington has the most affordable homes ($494k median).

Hampton Falls has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.5%).

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	Hampton Falls
People
Population	7,202Highest	2,328Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±4.2Highest 28% above U.S.	49.5±7.3Lowest 27% above U.S.
	Great Barrington and Hampton Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.9%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.1%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Hampton Falls 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 U.S.: 17.2%	25%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Great Barrington and Hampton Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	54.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	10.8%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$84,132±$11kLowest 4% above U.S.	$166,157±$14kHighest 106% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$494,300±$61kLowest 49% above U.S.	$772,600±$76kHighest 132% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,314±$239Lowest 7% below U.S.	$1,852±$475Highest 31% above U.S.
	Hampton Falls and Great Barrington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,935Lowest 90% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.9%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.2%±22.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Great Barrington and Hampton Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.	32 minHighest 22% above U.S.
Work from home	23.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	21.8%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Great Barrington and Hampton Falls 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	—
School district	Berkshire Hills	Hampton Falls School District
High school in town	Monument Mt Regional High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.