What stands out worked out from the figures below

Greenfield has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

Fairhaven has the highest household income ($96k).

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	Greenfield	Fairhaven
People
Population	17,664Highest	15,903Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.3% MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.1Lowest 12% above MA	48.5±3.4Highest 21% above MA
	Fairhaven and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%	16.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Greenfield and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.4%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.9%±2.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Fairhaven and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	32.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	3.3%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Greenfield and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA	$95,965±$19kHighest 8% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA	$446,700±$19kHighest 21% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA	$1,118±$79Highest 37% below MA
	Fairhaven and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,769Highest 20% below MA	$3,566Lowest 40% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%	51.1%±14Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest MA: 10%	8.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	74.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1952Highest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 40% below MA	29 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	11.9%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%	11.4%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Greenfield and Fairhaven 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	#257 of 282 in MA	#126 of 282 in MA
School district	Greenfield	Fairhaven
High school in town	Greenfield High	Fairhaven High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	11.4Highest
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.