What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pittsfield has the most people working from home (28.1%).

Waltham has the highest household income ($98k).

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	Waltham
People
Population	391Lowest	452Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.7% VT: +2.8%	—
Median age	53.8±3.5Lowest 25% above VT	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT
	Waltham and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.6%±8.4Highest VT: 17.9%	12.8%±7.4Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Pittsfield and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.4%±7.1Lowest VT: 21.4%	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Highest VT: 43.8%	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±3.5Lowest VT: 7%	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,852±$12kLowest 19% below VT	$97,500±$14kHighest 20% above VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$313,300±$73kLowest about the VT average	$329,700±$51kHighest 4% above VT
	Waltham and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,035±$140Lowest 16% below VT	$1,096±$113Highest 11% below VT
	Waltham and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,181Lowest about the VT average	$5,714Highest 13% above VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.6%±43Highest VT: 48.4%	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Pittsfield and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.4%Highest VT: 10.1%	5.3%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	76.2%Lowest VT: 73.2%	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 1 yr newer than VT	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 18% below VT	28 minHighest 18% above VT
Work from home	28.1%±24.1Highest VT: 16.9%	20.6%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Pittsfield and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.