What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has the most people working from home (24.1%).

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	Northampton	Gardner
People
Population	30,962Highest	21,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
	Gardner and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Gardner and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
	Northampton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Highest 5% below MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Lowest MA: 10%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Gardner
High school in town	Northampton High	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	13.5Lowest
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.