Population
Northampton
28,640
Ashland
21,343
Median Income
Northampton
$78,467
Ashland
$71,782
Home Value
Northampton
$398,000
Ashland
$573,700
Rent
Northampton
$1,404
Ashland
$1,367
Crime Rate
Northampton
4.45
Ashland
2.53
Cost of Living
Northampton
139.8
Ashland
139.6
Avg Temp
Northampton
N/A
Ashland
N/A
Unemployment
Northampton
5.3%
Ashland
5.5%
How Similar Are Northampton & Ashland?
Ashland is Northampton's #15 most similar city
5 of 10 key metrics match within 10%
Population
Northampton
28,640
Ashland
21,343
Northampton has a 25% larger population than Ashland.
Violent Crime
Northampton
4.45
Ashland
2.53
Northampton has a 43% higher violent crime than Ashland.
Property Crime
Northampton
12.72
Ashland
17.66
Ashland has a 28% higher property crime than Northampton.
Political Leaning
Northampton
27.6%
Ashland
51.9%
Northampton leans Democratic while Ashland leans Republican.
Unemployment
Northampton
5.3%
Ashland
5.5%
Both cities have similar unemployment — just a 3% difference.
Median Income
Northampton
$78,467
Ashland
$71,782
Both cities have similar median income — just a 9% difference.
Home Values
Northampton
$398,000
Ashland
$573,700
Ashland has a 31% higher home values than Northampton.
Education
Northampton
43.1%
Ashland
47.4%
Both cities have similar education — just a 9% difference.
Demographics
Northampton
82.9%
Ashland
85.7%
Both cities have similar demographics — just a 3% difference.
Cost of Living
Northampton
139.8
Ashland
139.6
Both cities have similar cost of living — just a 0% difference.
5 out of 10 key metrics match within 10%. Northampton and Ashland share several key characteristics.
At a Glance
0
Northampton
0
Ashland
Ashland leads in 4 of 8 categories
Cost of Living & Affordability — Ashland leads
Source: City Stats Index / HUDAshland scores 79.8 on the transportation index (100 = national avg) vs 119.9 in Northampton. Ashland has a fair market rent (2br) of $1,530 vs $2,004 in Northampton (31% lower). Ashland has a fair market rent (1br) of $1,229 vs $1,580 in Northampton (29% lower).
Overall Cost Index
Housing Index
Food Index
Transportation Index
Healthcare Index
Utilities Index
Living Wage (1 Adult)
Living Wage (Family of 4)
Fair Market Rent (1BR)
Fair Market Rent (2BR)
Housing Market — Ashland leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNorthampton has a vacancy rate of 5.2% compared to 10.7% in Ashland. Ashland has a median home value of $573,700 vs $398,000 in Northampton (31% higher). Ashland has a single-family homes of 72.2% compared to 53.5% in Northampton.
Median Home Value
Median Rent
Median Property Tax
Owner-Occupied
Vacancy Rate
Single-Family Homes
Jobs & Economy — Northampton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNorthampton: 15,438 vs Ashland: 11,166 for labor force. Northampton has a poverty rate of 12.5% compared to 14.3% in Ashland. Northampton has a median household income of $78,467 vs $71,782 in Ashland (9% higher).
Median Household Income
Per Capita Income
Poverty Rate
Unemployment Rate
Labor Force
Mean Commute
Work from Home
Private Sector
Government Sector
Crime & Safety — Ashland leads
Source: FBI UCRAshland has a assault rate (per 1k) of 1.96 compared to 3.65 in Northampton. Ashland has a property crime clearance of 29.7% compared to 6.3% in Northampton. Ashland has a violent crime rate (per 1k) of 2.53 compared to 4.45 in Northampton.
Violent Crime Rate (per 1K)
Property Crime Rate (per 1K)
Murder Rate (per 1K)
Robbery Rate (per 1K)
Assault Rate (per 1K)
Burglary Rate (per 1K)
Larceny Rate (per 1K)
Violent Crime Clearance
Property Crime Clearance
Weather & Climate
Source: NOAA / Open-MeteoAvg Annual Temperature
Avg Annual High
Avg Annual Low
Sunny Days per Year
Annual Rainfall
Annual Snowfall
Avg Humidity
Schools & Education — Ashland leads
Source: NCES / U.S. Census BureauAshland has a bachelor's degree or higher of 47.4% compared to 43.1% in Northampton. Ashland has a high school diploma or higher of 54.1% compared to 52.7% in Northampton.
Public Schools
Avg Student-Teacher Ratio
Colleges & Universities
Bachelor's Degree or Higher
High School Diploma or Higher
Demographics & Community
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNorthampton has a population of 28,640, about 1.3x the size of Ashland (21,343). Northampton skews younger with a median age of 41.7 vs 47.7.
Population
Median Age
Avg Household Size
Married Population
Foreign Born
White
Black
Hispanic
Asian
Northampton
Ashland
Healthcare
Source: CMS Hospital CompareAshland: 5 vs Northampton: 4 for with emergency services. Northampton: 3.0 vs Ashland: 2.8 for avg cms rating (out of 5).
Nearby Hospitals
Avg CMS Rating (out of 5)
With Emergency Services
Transportation & Commute — Northampton leads
Source: U.S. Census Bureau ACSNorthampton has a public transit of 2.9% compared to 1.0% in Ashland. Ashland has a bicycle of 3.6% compared to 1.3% in Northampton. Northampton has a work from home of 21.9% compared to 21.1% in Ashland.
Mean Commute Time
Drive Alone
Public Transit
Bicycle
Work from Home
Airports
Cities Similar to Northampton, MA
Compare Northampton against its closest statistical matches across demographics, income, crime, health, and more.
City Comparison
8-axis fingerprint: population, income, housing, crime, education, age, climate, and cost of living. Click legend items to toggle.