Jobs, pay and daily life in Northampton, 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.
Northampton is a city in Massachusetts with 30,962 residents. The median household earns $80,288 a year and the median rent is $1,439 a month, which is 21.5% of the median household income. It is part of the Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metropolitan area, where BLS counts 65,670 jobs.
How Northampton compares. Among the 80 largest places in Massachusetts, Northampton is #47 by population, #9 for long commutes (#1 = fewest), #18 for college degrees (#1 = most), #22 for rent (#1 = cheapest). Its county, Hampshire County, is #13 of 14 counties for average pay ($62,006).
Northampton has 30,962 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 0.4% of the population of Massachusetts. It covers 34 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 904 people per square mile. The median age is 41.3, 3% older than the state median (41.3 against 40.0).
The median gross rent is $1,439 a month (rent plus utilities), 18% below the state median ($1,439 against $1,762). Over a year that is 21.5% 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 $429,700, which is 5.4 times the median household income ($80,288); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 57.3% of households own their home, 8% below the state average (57.3% against 62.5%).
The Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metropolitan area has 65,670 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $57,030 a year, 12% above the national median ($57,030 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are educational instruction and library (9,130 jobs, median $79,220); office and administrative support (7,420 jobs, median $51,360); food preparation and serving related (6,880 jobs, median $36,790). The area is most specialised in educational instruction and library (2.4 times) and food preparation and serving related (1.2 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are educational instruction and library ($79,220) and office and administrative support ($51,360). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of Hampshire County was 3.8%. 62.8% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in Hampshire County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 57.4% drive alone, 2.8% use public transit, 8.2% walk, 24.1% work from home. 8.8% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 59% below the state average (8.8% against 21.5%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
62.7% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 33% above the state share (62.7% against 47.3%). 7.9% of residents were born outside the United States, 56% below the state share (7.9% against 18.1%). The poverty rate is 13.4%, 33% above the state rate (13.4% against 10.0%).
The warmest month is Jul, averaging 71°F (21.7°C), and the coolest is Jan at 21°F (-5.9°C). About 1,192 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: Holyoke (8 miles, rent 29% lower); Amherst Town (9 miles, rent 16% higher); Chicopee (12 miles, rent 20% lower); Westfield (14 miles, rent 22% lower). Rent differences are against Northampton; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Federal jobs in Massachusetts (896) →State guide: MassachusettsCountry guideHampshire CountyMassachusetts rankings
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
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.
Open federal jobs in Massachusetts →
These figures are for the whole Amherst Town-Northampton, MA metropolitan area, not the city alone.
Median pay across all occupations: $57,030 (US $50,980); unemployment 3.8% (2026M09).
| Industry (residents) ⇅ | Share of employed residents ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Education and health care | 41.5% |
| Professional, scientific, management, administrative | 13.8% |
| Arts, entertainment, accommodation, food | 10.4% |
| Manufacturing | 6.4% |
| Retail trade | 5.7% |
| Other services | 4.9% |
| Public administration | 3.8% |
| Construction | 3.5% |
| Information | 3.1% |
| Finance, insurance, real estate | 3.0% |
| Transportation, warehousing, utilities | 2.3% |
| Wholesale trade | 1.4% |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing, mining | 0.4% |
Cities have no official GDP or payroll count of their own. These figures are for the county where Northampton 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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hampshire County | 162,028 | $10,389 million | $64,117 | 65,786 | 4,928 | $62,006 | +0.5% | 3.8% | 84,724 |
| Industry ⇅ | Jobs ⇅ | Share of private jobs ⇅ | Average annual pay ⇅ | Concentration vs US (location quotient) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Health care and social assistance | 10,341 | 21.3% | $54,464 | 1.10 |
| Retail trade | 7,387 | 15.2% | $37,931 | 1.12 |
| Educational services | 7,246 | 15.0% | $60,380 | 5.33 |
| Accommodation and food services | 5,511 | 11.4% | $27,881 | 0.92 |
| Manufacturing | 2,743 | 5.7% | $77,150 | 0.51 |
| Construction | 2,312 | 4.8% | $75,773 | 0.67 |
| Wholesale trade | 2,152 | 4.4% | $123,735 | 0.83 |
| Other services (except public administration) | 2,090 | 4.3% | $49,786 | 1.06 |
| Professional and technical services | 2,062 | 4.3% | $89,990 | 0.45 |
| Administrative and waste services | 1,473 | 3.0% | $61,195 | 0.38 |
| Finance and insurance | 1,066 | 2.2% | $92,334 | 0.40 |
| Arts, entertainment, recreation | 1,024 | 2.1% | $27,409 | 0.93 |
| Transportation and warehousing | 778 | 1.6% | $45,006 | 0.28 |
| Information | 633 | 1.3% | $83,440 | 0.51 |
| Management of companies | 564 | 1.2% | $61,802 | 0.51 |
| Real estate and rental | 472 | 1.0% | $55,011 | 0.46 |
| Agriculture, forestry, fishing | 444 | 0.9% | $38,258 | 0.83 |
| Utilities | 133 | 0.3% | $131,536 | 0.53 |
| Mining, oil and gas | 37 | 0.1% | $53,695 | 0.15 |
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 | 57.4% |
| Public transit | 2.8% |
| Walk | 8.2% |
| Work from home | 24.1% |
| Commute of 45 minutes or more | 8.8% |
Shares are of workers aged 16 and over; they describe residents, wherever they work.
| Indicator ⇅ | Value ⇅ |
|---|---|
| Median household income | $80,288 |
| Income per person | $50,705 |
| Median gross rent per month | $1,439 |
| Yearly rent as share of median household income | 21.5% |
| Median home value | $429,700 |
| Homeowners | 57.3% |
| Poverty rate | 13.4% |
| Price level of the metro area (US = 100) | 100.2 |
| Metro median pay, all occupations | $57,030 |
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 | 41.3 |
| High school or higher (25+) | 94.8% |
| Bachelor's degree or higher (25+) | 62.7% |
| Born abroad | 7.9% |
| Labour force participation (16+) | 62.8% |
Work permits are federal: see permits and first steps.
| Month ⇅ | Mean temperature (°C) ⇅ | Mean temperature (°F) ⇅ | Precipitation (mm) ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan | -5.9 | 21 | 74 |
| Feb | -4.9 | 23 | 79 |
| Mar | -0.2 | 32 | 91 |
| Apr | 6.7 | 44 | 96 |
| May | 13.3 | 56 | 94 |
| Jun | 18.4 | 65 | 119 |
| Jul | 21.7 | 71 | 108 |
| Aug | 21.1 | 70 | 105 |
| Sep | 17.1 | 63 | 105 |
| Oct | 9.9 | 50 | 125 |
| Nov | 3.4 | 38 | 88 |
| Dec | -2.3 | 28 | 108 |
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 ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holyoke | MA | 8 mi | 37,813 | $53,605 | $1,021 |
| Amherst Town | MA | 9 mi | 38,182 | $66,968 | $1,671 |
| Chicopee | MA | 12 mi | 55,295 | $62,615 | $1,157 |
| Westfield | MA | 14 mi | 40,378 | $87,753 | $1,117 |
| West Springfield Town | MA | 14 mi | 28,772 | $69,371 | $1,144 |
| Springfield | MA | 16 mi | 154,749 | $52,656 | $1,144 |
| Agawam Town | MA | 18 mi | 28,539 | $85,421 | $1,256 |
| Longmeadow | MA | 20 mi | 15,696 | $149,601 | $1,682 |
| Greenfield | MA | 20 mi | 17,664 | $55,614 | $1,107 |
| Palmer Town | MA | 21 mi | 12,381 | $78,480 | $1,075 |
Straight-line distance in miles, not driving distance.
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vs
30,962 (Census Bureau ACS 2020–2024 5-year estimate).
$1,439 a month (ACS 2020–2024), which is 21.5% of the median household income.
$80,288 (ACS 2020–2024, in 2024 dollars).
3.8% (BLS county, Hampshire County (latest month 2026M09)).
Massachusetts. See the state guide for minimum wage, taxes and pay.