What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pittsfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.8%).

Dalton has the most people working from home (12.5%).

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	Pittsfield	Dalton
People
Population	43,457Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.8%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±2Lowest 6% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±1.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,582±$5kLowest 32% below MA	$79,438±$8kHighest 24% below MA
	Dalton and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,900±$8kLowest 54% below MA	$295,700±$26kHighest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,134±$61Highest 36% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,148Lowest 31% below MA	$4,276Highest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±5.7Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Pittsfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.9%Highest MA: 10%	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA	1957Highest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 36% below MA	22 minHighest 24% below MA
Work from home	10.2%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Dalton and Pittsfield 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	#251 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Pittsfield	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Taconic High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	10.9Highest
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.