Jobs, pay and daily life in North Adams, from official statistics with source and year on every table.
Click any dot to open that city: jobs, pay, rent, commute, county economy and climate. Dot size follows population; colours follow the state flag.
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 07/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
North Adams is a city in Massachusetts with 12,606 residents. The median household earns $47,500 a year and the median rent is $793 a month, which is 20.0% of the median household income. It is part of the Pittsfield, MA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 56,810 jobs.
How North Adams compares. Among the 80 largest places in Massachusetts, North Adams is #78 by population, #1 for rent (#1 = cheapest), #80 for household income (#1 = highest), #10 for long commutes (#1 = fewest). Its county, Berkshire County, is #12 of 14 counties for average pay ($62,257).
North Adams has 12,606 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.2% of the population of Massachusetts. It covers 20 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 620 people per square mile. The median age is 44.1, 10% older than the state median (44.1 against 40.0).
The median gross rent is $793 a month (rent plus utilities), 55% below the state median ($793 against $1,762). Over a year that is 20.0% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $195,900, which is 4.1 times the median household income ($47,500). 51.0% of households own their home, 18% below the state average (51.0% against 62.5%).
The Pittsfield, MA metropolitan area has 56,810 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $51,860 a year, about the same as the national median ($51,860 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (6,310 jobs, median $48,800); food preparation and serving related (5,740 jobs, median $35,900); educational instruction and library (4,710 jobs, median $61,810). The area is most specialised in food preparation and serving related (1.1 times) and office and administrative support (1.0 times), where the share of workers is above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are office and administrative support ($48,800) and food preparation and serving related ($35,900). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Berkshire County was 3.9%. 54.7% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Berkshire County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 76.1% drive alone, 0.4% use public transit, 7.3% walk, 9.2% work from home. 9.2% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 57% below the state average (9.2% against 21.5%).
28.4% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 40% below the state share (28.4% against 47.3%). 5.4% of residents were born outside the United States, 70% below the state share (5.4% against 18.1%). The poverty rate is 18.6%, 85% above the state rate (18.6% against 10.0%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 70°F (21.0°C), and the coolest is Jan at 20°F (-6.4°C). About 1,200 mm (47 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Oct is the wettest month (125 mm) and Jan the driest (74 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Bennington (14 miles, rent 41% higher); Pittsfield (17 miles, rent 43% higher); Greenfield (27 miles, rent 40% higher); Troy (29 miles, rent 48% higher). Rent differences are against North Adams; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Massachusetts (896) →State guide: MassachusettsCountry guideBerkshire CountyMassachusetts rankings
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There are 896 federal postings open in Massachusetts (USAJOBS, state level; we do not have a city filter for them). Private-sector jobs are not in this feed.
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| Occupation ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Location quotient ⇅ | Median pay (year) ⇅ | Entry (10th pct.) ⇅ | Top (90th pct.) ⇅ | Median vs US ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 2,540 | 1.61 | $40,160 | $36,990 | $45,390 | +12% |
| Retail Salespersons | 1,850 | 1.30 | $35,540 | $31,510 | $47,980 | +0% |
| General and Operations Managers | 1,500 | 1.17 | $98,210 | $51,710 | $206,900 | -7% |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 1,470 | 1.04 | $34,680 | $31,200 | $37,830 | +11% |
| Registered Nurses | 1,230 | 1.00 | $104,950 | $74,000 | $135,520 | +8% |
| Cashiers | 1,160 | 1.03 | $34,380 | $31,200 | $37,370 | +5% |
| Waiters and Waitresses | 1,150 | 1.38 | $35,950 | $31,200 | $64,880 | +2% |
| Janitors and Cleaners, Except Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 920 | 1.14 | $39,830 | $33,660 | $54,040 | +8% |
| Stockers and Order Fillers | 840 | 0.81 | $39,060 | $33,760 | $47,890 | +5% |
| Office Clerks, General | 830 | 0.92 | $46,970 | $33,820 | $63,540 | +4% |
| Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary | 830 | 1.61 | $40,110 | $31,200 | $48,550 | +9% |
| Nursing Assistants | 810 | 1.53 | $46,620 | $38,190 | $52,890 | +10% |
| Maintenance and Repair Workers, General | 690 | 1.23 | $48,930 | $35,950 | $72,040 | -1% |
| Customer Service Representatives | 680 | 0.72 | $44,650 | $34,350 | $64,360 | -0% |
| Cooks, Restaurant | 630 | 1.23 | $43,970 | $35,050 | $56,310 | +18% |
| Landscaping and Groundskeeping Workers | 630 | 1.80 | $46,190 | $36,180 | $58,610 | +18% |
| Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive | 600 | 0.96 | $49,990 | $39,870 | $72,700 | +5% |
| First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers | 580 | 1.11 | $70,880 | $47,300 | $97,520 | +2% |
| Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education | 560 | 1.43 | $78,980 | $51,030 | $100,810 | +10% |
| Maids and Housekeeping Cleaners | 550 | 1.75 | $36,600 | $33,400 | $57,970 | +3% |
These figures are for the whole Pittsfield, MA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $51,860 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.9% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 36.1% |
| Retail trade | 11.4% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 8.8% |
| Manufacturing | 8.3% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 8.2% |
| Construction | 6.1% |
| Other services | 5.5% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 5.5% |
| Public administration | 4.7% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.4% |
| Information | 1.1% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 0.3% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where North Adams lies and cover the whole county, not only the city.
| County ⇅ | Population ⇅ | GDP (2024) ⇅ | GDP per resident ⇅ | Jobs (QCEW 2024) ⇅ | Employer sites ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Job change vs 2023 ⇅ | Unemployment rate ⇅ | Labour force ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Berkshire County | 129,430 | $9,165 million | $70,812 | 57,946 | 5,475 | $62,257 | -1.0% | 3.9% | 64,387 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 12,092 | 24.2% | $65,619 | 1.46 |
| Retail trade | 7,212 | 14.4% | $40,300 | 1.25 |
| Accommodation and food services | 6,560 | 13.1% | $31,285 | 1.25 |
| Manufacturing | 3,298 | 6.6% | $75,896 | 0.69 |
| Educational services | 3,001 | 6.0% | $68,029 | 2.50 |
| Construction | 2,871 | 5.7% | $72,941 | 0.94 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,757 | 5.5% | $108,012 | 0.68 |
| Administrative and waste services | 2,244 | 4.5% | $57,697 | 0.66 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,033 | 4.1% | $44,618 | 1.17 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,886 | 3.8% | $36,858 | 1.94 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,446 | 2.9% | $112,982 | 0.61 |
| Wholesale trade | 1,296 | 2.6% | $93,373 | 0.57 |
| Information | 842 | 1.7% | $132,870 | 0.78 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 779 | 1.6% | $50,943 | 0.32 |
| Real estate and rental | 546 | 1.1% | $54,864 | 0.61 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 464 | 0.9% | $44,964 | 0.99 |
| Management of companies | 366 | 0.7% | $76,642 | 0.37 |
| Utilities | 272 | 0.5% | $124,076 | 1.23 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 102 | 0.2% | $82,929 | 0.47 |
QCEW counts jobs covered by unemployment insurance; sectors with too few employers are withheld by BLS. Latest-month unemployment is preliminary.
| How residents get to work ⇅ | Share ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Drive alone | 76.1% |
| Public transit | 0.4% |
| Walk | 7.3% |
| Work from home | 9.2% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 9.2% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $47,500 |
| Income per person | $36,808 |
| Median gross rent per month | $793 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 20.0% |
| Median home value | $195,900 |
| Homeowners | 51.0% |
| Poverty rate | 18.6% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 95.1 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $51,860 |
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; graduated states show 0 until you enter your own estimate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
State tax: Graduated, top rate 9.00%.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median age | 44.1 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 90.6% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 28.4% |
| Born abroad | 5.4% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 54.7% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -6.4 | 20 | 74 |
| Feb | -5.4 | 22 | 77 |
| Mar | -0.8 | 31 | 87 |
| Apr | 6.2 | 43 | 93 |
| May | 13.0 | 55 | 97 |
| Jun | 17.9 | 64 | 122 |
| Jul | 21.0 | 70 | 112 |
| Aug | 20.3 | 69 | 112 |
| Sep | 16.5 | 62 | 109 |
| Oct | 9.4 | 49 | 125 |
| Nov | 2.9 | 37 | 86 |
| Dec | -2.8 | 27 | 106 |
Satellite-reanalysis climatology on a grid of roughly 50 km, so it smooths local effects (hills, coast, city heat). It is not a weather-station record.
| City ⇅ | State ⇅ | Distance (straight line) ⇅ | Population ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bennington | VT | 14 mi | 9,245 | $54,257 | $1,115 |
| Pittsfield | MA | 17 mi | 43,457 | $70,582 | $1,134 |
| Greenfield | MA | 27 mi | 17,664 | $55,614 | $1,107 |
| Troy | NY | 29 mi | 51,033 | $58,477 | $1,175 |
| West Brattleboro | VT | 29 mi | 2,749 | $44,827 | $848 |
| Cohoes | NY | 31 mi | 18,159 | $61,145 | $1,251 |
| Brattleboro | VT | 31 mi | 7,657 | $52,734 | $1,113 |
| Northampton | MA | 33 mi | 30,962 | $80,288 | $1,439 |
| Albany | NY | 35 mi | 100,492 | $61,986 | $1,216 |
| Manchester Center | VT | 36 mi | 2,037 | $54,808 | $1,023 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
Pick two cities.
vs
12,606 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$793 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 20.0% of the median household income.
$47,500 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.9% (BLS county, Berkshire County (latest month 2026M09)).
Massachusetts. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.