What stands out worked out from the figures below

North Adams has the most affordable homes ($196k median).

Williamstown has the most people working from home (27.3%).

Williamstown is a college town. 28.9% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Williamstown
People
Population	12,606Highest	9,150Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±3.5Highest 10% above MA	37.5±6.9Lowest 6% below MA
	North Adams and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	15.5%±3.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	North Adams and Williamstown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.1%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Williamstown and North Adams are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	70.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.8%±2Lowest MA: 7.9%	28.9%±2.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$47,500±$7kLowest 54% below MA	$106,650±$25kHighest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$195,900±$14kLowest 65% below MA	$437,100±$39kHighest 22% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$793±$113Lowest 55% below MA	$1,584±$292Highest 10% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,078Lowest 49% below MA	$5,290Highest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.7%±11Highest MA: 51.8%	48.9%±15.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	North Adams and Williamstown 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%	11.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	51%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1959Highest 5 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minHighest 40% below MA	16 minLowest 45% below MA
Work from home	9.2%±3.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.3%±5.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#268 of 282 in MA	#45 of 282 in MA
School district	North Adams · Northern Berkshire Regional Vocational Technical	Mount Greylock
High school in town	Charles McCann Vocational Technical	Mt Greylock Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	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.