North Adams, MA vs Amherst, MA

Side-by-side comparison from the latest government data.

MetricNorth Adams, MAAmherst, MA
Population12,60638,182
Median Household Income$47,500$66,968
Median Rent$793/mo$1,671/mo
Median Home Value$195,900$484,900
Cost of Living (US = 100)95100
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income59.5%60.8%
Poverty Rate18.6%23.7%
Unemployment Rate5.4%4.7%
Violent Crime Rate /100k1,183140
Property Crime Rate /100k2,543295
Median AQI3836
Good AQI Days /yr285312
Summer Highs79°F81°F
Winter Lows17°F17°F
Snowfall85 in/yr37 in/yr
Avg Commute17.4 min18 min
Hospitals1—
Avg Hospital Rating——
Students per Teacher10.110.1
College Degree Rate28.4%75.6%
Foreign-Born %5.4%16.1%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-4.4%+4.2%

Green = clearly better (more than 5% apart). Population, growth, weather, hospital count and foreign-born share aren’t scored.