What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).

Dalton has the highest household income ($79k).

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	Springfield	Dalton
People
Population	154,749Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
Kids under 18	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Springfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA	$79,438±$8kHighest 24% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA	$295,700±$26kHighest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$55Highest 35% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA	$4,276Highest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Springfield and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest MA: 10%	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA	1957Highest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 31% below MA	22 minHighest 24% below MA
Work from home	8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Dalton and Springfield 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	#276 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Springfield	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Springfield Central High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Highest	10.9Lowest
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.