Northampton, MA vs Amherst, MA

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

MetricNorthampton, MAAmherst, MA
Population30,96238,182
Median Household Income$80,288$66,968
Median Rent$1,439/mo$1,671/mo
Median Home Value$429,700$484,900
Cost of Living (US = 100)100100
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income55%60.8%
Poverty Rate13.4%23.7%
Unemployment Rate3.7%4.7%
Violent Crime Rate /100k487140
Property Crime Rate /100k1,221295
Median AQI3636
Good AQI Days /yr312312
Summer Highs81°F81°F
Winter Lows17°F17°F
Snowfall37 in/yr37 in/yr
Avg Commute21.4 min18 min
Hospitals2—
Avg Hospital Rating2.0 / 5—
Students per Teacher10.210.1
College Degree Rate62.7%75.6%
Foreign-Born %7.9%16.1%
Population Growth (2020–2025)+5.0%+4.2%

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