What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the highest household income ($122k).

Northampton has the most people working from home (24.1%).

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	Townsend	Northampton
People
Population	9,100Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest about the MA average	41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA
	Northampton and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Townsend and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kHighest 17% above MA	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 23% below MA	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA
	Townsend and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 17% below MA	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA
	Townsend and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest about the MA average	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest MA: 10%	13.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 27% above MA	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 282 in MA	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	North Middlesex	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	14.7Highest
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.