What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.6%).

Holyoke has the most affordable homes ($274k median).

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	Holyoke
People
Population	30,962Lowest	37,813Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	-4.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA	40±1.6Lowest about the MA average
	Northampton and Holyoke 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%	21.4%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%	20.1%±1.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Holyoke 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%	25.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	3.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA	$53,605±$3kLowest 48% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA	$274,100±$8kLowest 51% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA	$1,021±$60Lowest 42% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Highest 5% below MA	$4,065Lowest 32% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	51.7%±5.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Holyoke 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%	27%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Highest MA: 62.5%	41.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minHighest 26% below MA	19 minLowest 34% below MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	11.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#281 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Holyoke · Springfield
High school in town	Northampton High	Holyoke High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.5Lowest
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.