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Massachusetts Living Index

Adams

Berkshires · pop. 8,200

Adams is a working mill town at the base of Mount Greylock, cheap, outdoors-adjacent, and culturally unpretentious. The Hoosac Valley school district is rated C+ by Niche.

Historic VillageCommuter ValueOutdoors & Trails
Livability Index
49
/ 100
Ranks #184 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$260k
4.4× household income
Household income
$59k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
160 min
peak driving
Population
8,200
5-yr trend 50/100

How Adams scores

Schools
62
Safety
60
Walkability
38
Transit
18
Biking
25
Dining
32
Nightlife
22
Arts & Culture
60
Green Space
45
Diversity
18
Climate
75

The honest read

Best for
Buyers who want the cheapest entry point in the Berkshires with access to Greylock hiking and North Adams arts spillover.
The tradeoff
Schools are C+ (Niche), incomes are low, and there is virtually nothing here beyond basics, drive to North Adams or Pittsfield for anything else.

Compare on your terms

These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where Adams lands for you.

Open Adams in the atlas About Gary Browse all 194 towns

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Adams.

North Adams
53/100 · $254k
Berkshires
Williamstown
64/100 · $478k
Berkshires
Pittsfield
55/100 · $306k
Berkshires
Lenox
62/100 · $568k
Berkshires

Popular comparisons

Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at Adams.

AdamsvsNorth Adams
49 · 53livability
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AdamsvsWilliamstown
49 · 64livability
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