What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has the most affordable homes ($271k median).

Belchertown has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Palmer Town	Belchertown
People
Population	12,381Lowest	15,393Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA	43.9±1.6Lowest 10% above MA
	Palmer Town and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.5%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	21%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	47.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA	$108,068±$15kHighest 4% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA	$371,300±$12kHighest 34% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA	$1,292±$230Highest 27% below MA
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Lowest 24% below MA	$5,810Highest 3% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.4%±21.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Belchertown and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest MA: 10%	8.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	14%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#252 of 282 in MA	#168 of 282 in MA
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	Belchertown
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	Belchertown High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	11.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.