What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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	Greenfield	Northampton
People
Population	17,664Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.6% MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.1Highest 12% above MA	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA
	Greenfield and Northampton 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%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Greenfield and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Greenfield and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA	$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA	$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,769Lowest 20% below MA	$5,680Highest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield and Northampton 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%	13.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 40% below MA	21 minHighest 26% below MA
Work from home	11.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#257 of 282 in MA	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Greenfield	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Greenfield High	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	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.