What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has the most affordable homes ($430k median).

Stoneham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	30,962Highest	23,355Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA	42.2±2.2Highest 6% above MA
	Stoneham 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%	20.8%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7 MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.2 MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	55.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$113,964±$10kHighest 10% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$671,900±$26kHighest 20% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA	$2,035±$142Highest 15% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA	$6,523Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±8.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest MA: 10%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	71%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1964Highest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	28 minHighest 4% below MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Stoneham 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	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Stoneham
High school in town	Northampton High	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	10.7Lowest
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.