Palmer, MA vs Springfield, MA

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

MetricPalmer, MASpringfield, MA
Population12,381154,749
Median Household Income$78,480$52,656
Median Rent$1,075/mo$1,144/mo
Median Home Value$271,400$245,000
Cost of Living (US = 100)9696
Renters Paying 30%+ of Income50.9%53.6%
Poverty Rate8.3%25.8%
Unemployment Rate5.2%6.9%
Violent Crime Rate /100k454871
Property Crime Rate /100k6882,468
Median AQI3939
Good AQI Days /yr281281
Summer Highs80°F83°F
Winter Lows17°F18°F
Snowfall43 in/yr52 in/yr
Avg Commute31.3 min20.2 min
Hospitals12
Avg Hospital Rating4.0 / 52.0 / 5
Students per Teacher9.911.1
College Degree Rate23.5%20.5%
Foreign-Born %1.2%10.5%
Population Growth (2020–2025)-0.7%-0.8%

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