What stands out worked out from the figures below

Watertown has the most expensive homes ($785k median).

Northampton has the most affordable homes ($430k 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.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Watertown	Northampton
People
Population	35,543Highest	30,962Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.6% MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.4±1.3Lowest about the MA average	41.3±2.2Highest 3% above MA
	Northampton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	16%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Northampton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±1.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	62.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$126,265±$6kHighest 21% above MA	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$784,600±$31kHighest 40% above MA	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,502±$107Highest 42% above MA	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,799Highest 13% above MA	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.7%±5.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest MA: 10%	13.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1955Highest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	29.1%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Watertown and Northampton 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	#171 of 282 in MA	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Watertown	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Watertown High	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	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.