What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

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	Townsend
People
Population	30,962Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA	40.9±3.3Lowest about the MA average
	Northampton and Townsend 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%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Townsend 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%	17.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Townsend 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%	35.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$121,528±$23kHighest 17% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$433,200±$22kHighest 23% below MA
	Townsend and Northampton 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	$1,469±$313Highest 17% below MA
	Townsend and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA	$6,031Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	50.6%±16.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Townsend 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%	8.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	37 minHighest 27% above MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	10.5%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	North Middlesex
High school in town	Northampton High	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	13.1Lowest
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.