What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham	Northampton
People
Population	16,038Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.	41.3±2.2Highest 6% above U.S.
	Northampton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%	16%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7% U.S.: 35.7%	62.7% U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.	$80,288±$6kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.	$429,700±$17kLowest 29% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.	$1,439±$75Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$5,680Lowest 82% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.2%±50.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.6%±6.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northampton and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	57.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	21 minLowest 19% below U.S.
Work from home	21.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.1%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northampton and Windham 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	#13 of 120 in NH	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Windham School District	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Windham High School	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.