What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has the highest household income ($78k).

Springfield has the most kids (24.2% under 18).

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	Springfield
People
Population	12,381Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.5%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kHighest 25% below MA	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,400±$21kHighest 52% below MA	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA	$1,144±$55Highest 35% below MA
	Springfield and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Highest 24% below MA	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Springfield 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%	25.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	20 minLowest 31% below MA
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	8.4%±0.9Highest MA: 18.6%
	Springfield and Palmer Town 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	#252 of 282 in MA	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	Springfield
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	12.2Highest
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.