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METRO AREA

Amherst Metro

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA · 1 counties · 164,065 residents (2025 est.) · 527 sq mi
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The short version

Amherst is home to 162,028 people. That puts it in the top 2% of US metro areas for household income. 52% of adults hold a bachelor's degree, against 36% nationally. People stay put here: 80% were in the same home a year ago. 8% of people across the metro were born outside the United States. Headcount has barely moved since 2000.

At a glance
Wealthier
above the US median
US median: $82,259
Younger
median age 37.4
US median: 38.9
More educated
52% hold a bachelor's degree
US average: 36%
Less affordable
home values up 50%, inflation adjusted
US median home: $376,019
Section 01

Population & growth

Total population
162,028
+6%since 2000
from 152,251 in 2000
164,065 in 2025 (Census Bureau estimate)
1990 – 2025
Population density
307 / sq mi
+6%since 2000
from 289 / sq mi in 2000
US average: 281
Median age
37.4
+9%since 2000
from 34.4 in 2000
US average: 38.9
Land area
527 sq mi
Population, 1990 – 2024
145K150K154K159K164K19902000201020202024Amherst
2024162K
1990201020202024
Age distribution, 2024
Under 53.2%(5,121)
US avg: 5.6%
5 to 93.9%(6,372)
US avg: 6%
10 to 144.1%(6,707)
US avg: 6.4%
15 to 1911.9%(19,316)
US avg: 6.6%
20 to 2414.6%(23,680)
US avg: 6.5%
25 to 349.9%(16,043)
US avg: 13.7%
35 to 4410.1%(16,443)
US avg: 13.2%
45 to 5410.2%(16,524)
US avg: 12.2%
55 to 6412.6%(20,384)
US avg: 12.7%
65 to 7411.8%(19,198)
US avg: 10.2%
75 to 845.7%(9,233)
US avg: 5.1%
85 and over1.9%(3,007)
US avg: 1.9%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 02

Income & economy

Median household income
$87,001
+4%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $46,098 in 2000
US average: $82,259
1990 – 2024
Per capita income
$45,568
+110%since 2000
from $21,685 in 2000
US average: $44,673
Households earning $100K+
56.0%
+17.8 ptssince 2009
from 38.3% in 2009
US average: 53.3%
Poverty rate
11.3%
+1.9 ptssince 2000
from 9.4% in 2000
US average: 12.5%
Income inequality (Gini)
0.471
+8%since 2010
from 0.435 in 2010
US average: 0.476
Workforce by industry, 2024
Information10.1%
US avg: 10.8%
Retail trade7.7%
US avg: 9.9%
Other services4.7%
US avg: 6.7%
Wholesale trade4.5%
US avg: 6.9%
Finance & insurance3.6%
US avg: 5.9%
Public administration3.5%
US avg: 4.8%
Professional, scientific, technical2.7%
US avg: 5.1%
Arts, entertainment, food1.9%
US avg: 1.9%
Transportation & warehousing1.5%
US avg: 2.2%
Education & health services0.9%
US avg: 0.9%
Agriculture, forestry, fishing0.6%
US avg: 1.6%
Construction0.6%
US avg: 1.2%
Manufacturing0%
US avg: 0.4%
BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
Section 03

Housing

Median home value
$390,300
+50%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $142,600 in 2000
US average: $376,019
1990 – 2024
Median gross rent
$1,388
+21%inflation adjusted, since 2000
from $631 in 2000
US average: $1,442
Owner-occupied
67.8%
+2.9 ptssince 2000
from 65.0% in 2000
32.2% rent
Vacancy rate
7.0%
+1.3 ptssince 2009
from 5.7% in 2009
US average: 10.0%
Persons per household
2.24 people
−3%since 2009
from 2.30 people in 2009
US average: 2.54
Owner cost-burdened
23.5%
−5.6 ptssince 2009
from 29.1% in 2009
US average: 22.9%
Renter cost-burdened
52.3%
+0.3 ptssince 2009
from 52.0% in 2009
US average: 47.4%
Afford Score
4.5
+2%since 2009
from 4.4 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Years of local income it takes to buy a local home, on a scale of about 0 to 15. Lower is more affordable.
Gentrification Score
46
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means faster recent growth in incomes, home values, and college degrees.
Section 04

Race & ethnicity

2000
White, non-Hispanic89.5%(136,319)
Black1.8%(2,740)
Hispanic / Latino3.4%(5,212)
Asian3.4%(5,158)
Other0%
2024
White, non-Hispanic80.3%(130,171)
Black2.5%(4,019)
Hispanic / Latino7.4%(11,964)
Asian5.3%(8,547)
Other4.5%(7,327)
Diversity Score
43
+54%since 2009
from 28 in 2009
2009 – 2024
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means a more even mix of racial and ethnic groups.
Segregation Score
30
−14%since 2020
from 35 in 2020
Our index, 0 to 100. Higher means White and non-White residents are more separated across neighborhoods.
Section 04 · Origins

Detailed origins & ancestry

Hispanic origin
Puerto Rican3.3%(5,362)
South American0.9%(1,499)
Mexican0.9%(1,409)
Central American0.8%(1,300)
Dominican0.6%(958)
Salvadoran0.4%(666)
Colombian0.4%(632)
Peruvian0.3%(406)
Spaniard0.2%(365)
Cuban0.2%(280)
Guatemalan0.2%(267)
Argentine0.1%(172)
+ 8 more hispanic origin groups with data
Costa Rican0.1%(152)
Honduran0.1%(143)
Chilean0.1%(121)
Ecuadorian0.1%(94)
Bolivian0%(21)
Asian origin
Chinese1.9%(3,030)
Asian Indian1.2%(1,876)
Korean0.4%(722)
Vietnamese0.4%(576)
Filipino0.3%(441)
Taiwanese0.3%(409)
Japanese0.2%(262)
Pakistani0.1%(220)
Cambodian0.1%(173)
Sri Lankan0.1%(137)
Thai0.1%(90)
Nepalese0%(70)
+ 7 more asian origin groups with data
Uzbek0%(63)
Laotian0%(50)
Burmese0%(40)
Malaysian0%(11)
Pacific Islander origin
Tongan0%(40)
Ancestry
Irish17.9%(28,994)
English12.3%(19,930)
Polish9.7%(15,775)
German8.9%(14,458)
Italian8.7%(14,132)
French8%(12,894)
French Canadian5.1%(8,321)
American4.8%(7,710)
Scottish2.4%(3,905)
Russian1.5%(2,456)
Swedish1.4%(2,321)
Portuguese1.3%(2,108)
+ 49 more ancestry groups with data
Lithuanian1%(1,657)
Dutch0.8%(1,257)
Arab0.7%(1,187)
Scotch-Irish0.7%(1,141)
British0.6%(989)
Hungarian0.6%(975)
West Indian0.6%(940)
Ukrainian0.5%(878)
Norwegian0.5%(861)
Welsh0.5%(747)
Canadian0.5%(739)
Austrian0.4%(675)
Czech0.4%(673)
Greek0.4%(656)
Brazilian0.4%(628)
Danish0.4%(578)
Iranian0.3%(516)
Finnish0.3%(457)
Swiss0.3%(446)
Lebanese0.2%(395)
Armenian0.2%(364)
Jamaican0.2%(359)
Nigerian0.2%(260)
Moroccan0.1%(199)
Slovak0.1%(170)
Haitian0.1%(152)
Syrian0.1%(141)
Egyptian0.1%(131)
Turkish0.1%(124)
Romanian0.1%(93)
Belgian0.1%(86)
Cape Verdean0.1%(86)
Croatian0%(80)
Kenyan0%(80)
Ethiopian0%(70)
Latvian0%(37)
Slovene0%(28)
Barbadian0%(27)
Serbian0%(26)
Bulgarian0%(23)
Guyanese0%(19)
Ghanaian0%(18)
Israeli0%(13)
Section 05

Education

Bachelor's degree or higher
51.6%
+13.7 ptssince 2000
from 37.9% in 2000
US average: 35.6%
High school or higher
95.4%
+6.1 ptssince 2000
from 89.4% in 2000
US average: 89.6%
Graduate degree
27.6%
+9.0 ptssince 2000
from 18.6% in 2000
US average: 14.0%
Section 06

Commute & transportation

Average commute
23.2 min
+57%since 2000
from 14.8 min in 2000
US average: 26.5
Drive alone to work
64.5%
−8.9 ptssince 2009
from 73.4% in 2009
US average: 68.9%
Carpooled to work
5.2%
−2.1 ptssince 2009
from 7.3% in 2009
US average: 8.5%
Public transit
2.8%
+0.9 ptssince 2009
from 1.8% in 2009
US average: 3.2%
Worked from home
18.4%
+12.4 ptssince 2009
from 6.1% in 2009
US average: 15.0%
Walked to work
7.4%
−2.3 ptssince 2009
from 9.7% in 2009
US average: 2.4%
Biked to work
1.1%
−0.1 ptssince 2009
from 1.2% in 2009
US average: 0.4%
No vehicle available
7.4%
+0.2 ptssince 2009
from 7.2% in 2009
US average: 8.3%
Section 07

Work & employment

Unemployment rate
5.0%
−2.6 ptssince 2011
from 7.6% in 2011
US average: 5.2%
Labor force participation
61.5%
−4.8 ptssince 2011
from 66.2% in 2011
US average: 63.5%
Women 20-64 in the labor force
78.6%
+1.9 ptssince 2020
from 76.7% in 2020
US average: 74.6%
Self-employed
19.3%
+0.6 ptssince 2009
from 18.8% in 2009
US average: 13.1%
Management & professional
49.8%
+7.6 ptssince 2009
from 42.2% in 2009
US average: 42.5%
Section 08

People & community

Male
46.5%
−0.5 ptssince 2009
from 47.0% in 2009
Female
53.5%
+0.5 ptssince 2009
from 53.0% in 2009
Foreign born
8.4%
+0.7 ptssince 2009
from 7.8% in 2009
US average: 14.1%
Veterans
5.1%
−3.7 ptssince 2009
from 8.8% in 2009
US average: 6.2%
With a disability
12.6%
+2.7 ptssince 2012
from 9.9% in 2012
US average: 13.3%
Uninsured
1.7%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 3.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Broadband at home
92.9%
+7.4 ptssince 2017
from 85.5% in 2017
US average: 91.0%
Computer in household
96.4%
+2.2 ptssince 2020
from 94.2% in 2020
US average: 95.5%
Same house as last year
80.1%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 78.8% in 2020
US average: 87.7%
English only at home
87.1%
−2.1 ptssince 2016
from 89.3% in 2016
US average: 77.7%
Spanish at home
4.3%
+1.2 ptssince 2016
from 3.1% in 2016
US average: 13.6%
Marital status
Men 15+
Never married45.1%(29,868)
Married44.1%(29,179)
Widowed1.9%(1,272)
Divorced8.8%(5,836)
Women 15+
Never married43.9%(34,103)
Married38.6%(30,018)
Widowed7%(5,460)
Divorced10.4%(8,092)
SHARE WITHIN EACH SEX · POPULATION 15 AND OVER · 2024
Section 09

Health coverage

Uninsured
1.7%
−1.5 ptssince 2013
from 3.2% in 2013
US average: 8.4%
Employer-based
65.5%
−1.7 ptssince 2020
from 67.2% in 2020
US average: 54.8%
Direct-purchase
17.9%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 16.7% in 2020
US average: 13.8%
Medicare
19.9%
+1.7 ptssince 2020
from 18.2% in 2020
US average: 18.4%
Medicaid
17.6%
+1.2 ptssince 2020
from 16.4% in 2020
US average: 20.9%
VA health care
2.0%
Unchangedsince 2020
from 2.0% in 2020
US average: 2.2%
Any private
80.2%
−0.7 ptssince 2020
from 80.9% in 2020
US average: 67.1%
Any public
34.7%
+3.0 ptssince 2020
from 31.7% in 2020
US average: 36.7%

Shares are "alone or in combination": a person with both Medicare and Medicaid counts in each, so categories overlap and do not sum to 100%.

Section 09 · Service history

Veterans

Veterans by period of service, 2024
Gulf War (2001 or later)17.9%(1,273)
US avg: 26.4%
Gulf War (1990s)18.8%(1,338)
US avg: 24.3%
Vietnam era39.9%(2,838)
US avg: 33.1%
Korean War4.9%(352)
US avg: 4.5%
World War II0.7%(48)
US avg: 1%

Share of the 7,119 veterans here. A veteran who served across eras counts in each, so shares can total more than 100%. Peacetime-only service is included in the total but not shown as an era.

BAR + DOT: THIS PLACE · TICK: US AVERAGE
In this metro

Largest cities

AmherstCENTRAL40,920NorthamptonCENTRAL31,047Ware6,369Belchertown2,355Hatfield1,449Granby1,152Huntington892
What's inside

1 component county

Hampshire CountyCENTRAL164,065
Drill deeper

Metros similar to Amherst

East Stroudsburg
Pop 167,179
Kingston
Pop 183,330
Kenosha
Pop 168,448
Logan
Pop 160,889
Places similar to Amherst
Head to head

Compare Amherst side by side

AMHERST VS
East Stroudsburg
Income$83,565−4%
Home value$267,600−31%
Population167,179+2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
AMHERST VS
Kingston
Income$86,271−1%
Home value$352,500−10%
Population183,330+12%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
AMHERST VS
Kenosha
Income$81,239−7%
Home value$265,500−32%
Population168,448+3%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
AMHERST VS
Logan
Income$80,722−7%
Home value$437,430+12%
Population160,889−2%
SEE FULL COMPARISON →
Frequently asked

How many people live in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA?

Amherst Town-Northampton, MA has about 162,028 residents according to the 2024 American Community Survey.

What is the median household income in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA?

The typical household in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA earns about $87,001 a year. Half of households make more than that, and half make less.

Is Amherst Town-Northampton, MA expensive?

In Amherst Town-Northampton, MA, the median home is worth about $390,300, and the typical rent is about $1,388 a month.

How educated are people in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA?

About 51.6% of adults age 25 and over in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA hold a bachelor's degree or higher.

What is the poverty rate in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA?

About 11.3% of people in Amherst Town-Northampton, MA live below the federal poverty line.

Has Amherst Town-Northampton, MA grown since 1990?

Yes, Amherst Town-Northampton, MA has grown since 1990. The population has added about 15,460 residents, a change of about 11 percent over that period.

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DATA: US CENSUS BUREAU ACS 5-YEAR + DECENNIAL CENSUS · METRO ROLLUP OF COMPONENT COUNTIES · UPDATED 2024

How we source and harmonize this data →