What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Watertown has the most expensive homes ($785k 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	Watertown
People
Population	30,962Lowest	35,543Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA	39.4±1.3Lowest about the MA average
	Northampton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%	14.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northampton and Watertown 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%	18.3%±1.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	66.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$126,265±$6kHighest 21% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$784,600±$31kHighest 40% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA	$2,502±$107Highest 42% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA	$6,799Highest 13% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	42.7%±5.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest MA: 10%	7.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Highest MA: 62.5%	47.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.1%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Watertown 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	#171 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Watertown
High school in town	Northampton High	Watertown High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.1Lowest
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.