What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lawrence has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.7%).

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	Lawrence
People
Population	30,962Lowest	88,736Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+16.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA	32.6±0.9Lowest 19% below MA
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	26.3%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%	10.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	16.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA	$60,433±$3kLowest 42% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA	$415,200±$23kLowest 26% below MA
	Northampton and Lawrence are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA	$1,662±$50Highest 6% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Highest 5% below MA	$3,422Lowest 43% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	60.6%±3.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lawrence and Northampton 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%	17.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Highest MA: 62.5%	28.1%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 minLowest 26% below MA	23 minHighest 21% below MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	6.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#278 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Lawrence
High school in town	Northampton High	Lawrence High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	13.6Lowest
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.