What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Webster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Webster
People
Population	30,962Highest	17,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA	39.9±2.9Lowest about the MA average
	Northampton and Webster 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%	19.6%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Webster 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%	19.6%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Webster 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%	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	5.8%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kHighest 23% below MA	$72,895±$6kLowest 30% below MA
	Northampton and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kHighest 24% below MA	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Highest 5% below MA	$3,999Lowest 33% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Webster 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%	12.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	59.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#271 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Webster
High school in town	Northampton High	Bartlett High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.6Lowest
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.