What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Berlin has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.2%).

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	Northampton	Berlin
People
Population	30,962Highest	3,378Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+10.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA	49.7±2.8Highest 24% above MA
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%	13.4%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northampton and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	30.1%±5.9Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	48.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.3%±2.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$121,336±$12kHighest 17% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$616,600±$55kHighest 10% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA	$2,420±$933Highest 37% above MA
	Berlin and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA	$7,116Highest 19% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	52.6%±19.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest MA: 10%	5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	77.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1992Highest 28 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	34 minHighest 17% above MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.1%±6.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Berlin and Northampton 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	#159 of 282 in MA	#61 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Berlin-Boylston
High school in town	Northampton High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7	—
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.