What stands out worked out from the figures below

Petersham has the most affordable homes ($392k median).

New Marlborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.3%).

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	Petersham	New Marlborough
People
Population	1,185Lowest	1,501Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	56.3±2.7Highest 41% above MA	52.5±4Lowest 31% above MA
	Petersham and New Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.7%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	16.8%±5.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	New Marlborough and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±4.7Highest MA: 17.9%	28.1%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Petersham and New Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%	47.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±2.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Petersham and New Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,750±$20kLowest 7% above MA	$117,188±$38kHighest 13% above MA
	New Marlborough and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$392,400±$20kLowest 30% below MA	$608,300±$91kHighest 8% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,679±$441Lowest 5% below MA	$2,750±$2kHighest 56% above MA
	New Marlborough and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,636Lowest 23% below MA	$4,689Highest 22% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	25%±82.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	New Marlborough and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.8%Highest MA: 10%	2.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1970Highest 6 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 32% above MA	28 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	16.2%±5.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.3%±7.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
School district	Petersham	Southern Berkshire
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.