What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	30,962Highest	16,038Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Highest 6% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Northampton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7% U.S.: 35.7%	62.7% U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest about the U.S. average	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 29% above U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Lowest about the U.S. average	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Lowest 82% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northampton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northampton and Windham 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	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Windham School District
High school in town	Northampton High	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.