Town comparison · Massachusetts

Amherst vs Belchertown

Pioneer Valley · Pioneer Valley

Amherst leads 5–0 on headline livability metrics

Across the six headline livability metrics (schools, safety, walkability, biking, affordability, and commute), Amherst edges Belchertown 5 to 0 with 1 tie. Median home prices are close, within $73k of each other. Belchertown is about 10 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak.

The two towns at a glance

Amherst

Pioneer Valley · pop. 39,263

UMass plus four colleges, the Norwottuck Rail Trail, and Pioneer Valley farmland.

Default fit score

equal weights, 0–100

Full Amherst profile →

Belchertown

Pioneer Valley · pop. 15,400

Belchertown is the affordable family suburb east of Amherst, better schools than the Pioneer Valley cities, low crime, and Five Colleges proximity without Five Colleges rent.

Default fit score

equal weights, 0–100

Full Belchertown profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

	Amherst	Belchertown
Headline
Livability index	74 ✦	51
Economics
Median home	$545k ✦	$472k
Household income	$65k	$108k ✦
Price ÷ income	8.4× ✦	4.4×
Tax burden	72 ✦	55
Schools & Safety
Schools	82 ✦	75
Safety	84 ✦	82
Getting around
Commute to Boston	110 min	100 min
Walkability	52 ✦	20
Transit	36 ✦	12
Biking	55 ✦	22
Lifestyle
Dining	74 ✦	32
Nightlife	68 ✦	18
Arts & culture	80 ✦	40
Green space	86 ✦	48
Community
Diversity	78 ✦	22
Climate	70	72 ✦
5-yr trend	66 ✦	60

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Amherst vs Belchertown in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

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About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.