What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northbridge has the highest household income ($111k).

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	Northbridge
People
Population	30,962Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA
	Northbridge 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%	21.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	36.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$111,319±$19kHighest 7% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$448,600±$15kHighest 20% below MA
	Northbridge and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Highest 5% below MA	$4,821Lowest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±9.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Northbridge 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%	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	31 minHighest 7% above MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Northbridge
High school in town	Northampton High	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	10.8Lowest
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.