What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Adams has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	North Adams	Gardner
People
Population	12,606Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±3.5Highest 10% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	North Adams and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Gardner and North Adams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	North Adams and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.8%±2Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,500±$7kLowest 54% below MA	$67,518±$8kHighest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$195,900±$14kLowest 65% below MA	$301,600±$20kHighest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$793±$113Lowest 55% below MA	$1,109±$51Highest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,078Lowest 49% below MA	$4,150Highest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.7%±11Highest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	North Adams and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.6%Highest MA: 10%	13.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51%Lowest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1954Highest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 40% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	9.2%±3.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Gardner and North Adams 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	#268 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	North Adams · Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational Technical	Gardner
High school in town	Charles McCann Vocational Technical	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	13.5Highest
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.