Compare towns
Ware vs Stockbridge vs Palmer Town
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Ware has the most kids (19.1% under 18).
Stockbridge has the most people working from home (52.4%).
Palmer Town has the most affordable homes ($271k median).
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.
| Measure | Ware | Stockbridge | Palmer Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 10,048 |
2,056Lowest |
12,381Highest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +2%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
+3.6%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+2.5% MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 43.1±4.7Lowest 8% above MA |
63.7±3.5Highest 59% above MA |
47.8±5.6 20% above MA |
| Kids under 18 | 19.1%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4% |
8.4%±4.3Lowest MA: 19.4% |
15.1%±3.1 MA: 19.4% |
| Ware and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 20.6%±3.4Lowest MA: 17.9% |
47%±7.5Highest MA: 17.9% |
20.9%±4.2 MA: 17.9% |
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 24% MA: 47.3% |
62.4%Highest MA: 47.3% |
23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4.4%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9% |
3.5%±2.7 MA: 7.9% |
3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9% |
| Ware and Stockbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $67,475±$15kLowest 35% below MA |
$146,250±$67kHighest 41% above MA |
$78,480±$8k 25% below MA |
| Stockbridge and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $289,700±$28k 48% below MA |
$600,000±$99kHighest 7% above MA |
$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,043±$109 41% below MA |
$858±$375Lowest 51% below MA |
$1,075±$103Highest 39% below MA |
| Palmer Town and Ware are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $4,237Lowest 29% below MA |
$4,652Highest 22% below MA |
$4,540 24% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 64.3%±16.2Highest MA: 51.8% |
60.8%±27 MA: 51.8% |
52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Ware and Stockbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 11.8%Highest MA: 10% |
7.2%Lowest MA: 10% |
8.3% MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 72.3% MA: 62.5% |
83.3%Highest MA: 62.5% |
71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1960 4 yrs older than MA |
1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA |
1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 min about the MA average |
20 minLowest 33% below MA |
31 minHighest 8% above MA |
| Work from home | 12.3%±3.8 MA: 18.6% |
52.4%±19.9Highest MA: 18.6% |
7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #267 of 282 in MA | — | #252 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Ware | — | Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical |
| High school in town | Ware Junior/Senior High School | — | Pathfinder Vocational Technical |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 11.1Highest |
— | 9.9Lowest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.