Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Holyoke

Pioneer Valley · pop. 37,900

Holyoke is a post-industrial mill city with the largest Puerto Rican population outside of New York City, real urban density, and cheap home prices. The schools are struggling and crime is elevated.

City LifeUrban Walker
Livability Index
53
/ 100
Ranks #149 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$329k
6.3× household income
Household income
$52k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
108 min
peak driving
Population
37,900
5-yr trend 48/100

How Holyoke scores

Schools
55
Safety
42
Walkability
62
Transit
42
Biking
38
Dining
55
Nightlife
45
Arts & Culture
62
Green Space
25
Diversity
72
Climate
72

Who lives in Holyoke

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
37.5
Foreign-born
5.5%
Bachelor's or higher
22.2%
Population
38k
White43.3%
Hispanic / Latino51.7%
Asian0.6%
Black2.6%
Other / multi1.8%

Schools in Holyoke

Holyoke School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Bottom 25%
8/100
ELA · 3-8
p1
8.3%
Math · 3-8
p1
5.6%
ELA · 10
p14
20.8%
Math · 10
p13
13.5%
Grad rate
81.3%
Bottom 25%
Spend / pupil
$24.8k
Top 25% in MA
Teachers / 100
8.5
Above average
Enrollment
4,898

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Buyers who want urban walkability and cultural diversity at the lowest price point in the Pioneer Valley.
The tradeoff
C- schools (Niche), elevated crime, and a 100-minute commute to Boston keeps the demand, and investment upside, limited.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

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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 Holyoke lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Holyoke.

Holyoke appears in

Rankings where Holyoke qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

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

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