Living in Richmond, Massachusetts: homes, schools and costs

The book's checklist

Lower cost of livingEveryday prices run 4.9% below the U.S. average in the Pittsfield metro area.
More house for the moneyA typical home costs 5.5 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
A safer neighborhoodThe FBI has no 2025 figures for Richmond itself. Many small towns are patrolled by the county sheriff, so call the sheriff's office and ask what calls they get most.
Schools in town1 public school. No public high school in town: the nearest is Lenox Memorial High, about 6 miles away.
A hospital close byBerkshire Medical Center in Pittsfield, about 8 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
Within reach of a big cityHartford is about 55 miles away as the crow flies. The book suggests staying within about 60 miles if you'll miss big-city sports, concerts and theater.

A check means Richmond meets the rule of thumb from Frank and Dave's book. An empty box isn't a deal breaker: it's something to weigh for your family. A question mark means there isn't enough data.

What kind of town

Tourist town. About 1 in 4 homes is a vacation or seasonal home, a sign of a visitor economy. More restaurants, shops and weekend events than locals alone could support, with the small-town basics intact.

The book sorts small towns into six types. These labels come only from the numbers; take the quiz to see which type fits your family.

For a lifetime

Homes and money

Typical home value, as owners valued them in 2020-2024: $584,500U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then: Up 23%Berkshire County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities: $1,593 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income: $106,250U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them: 90%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill: $5,575 a yearMassachusetts: $5,992
Homes built before 1940: 19%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010: 2%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes: 24%U.S.: 3%
Everyday prices: 95.1U.S. average = 100 (the Pittsfield metro area)

Home values and rents are what households told the Census Bureau across 2020 to 2024, so they trail today's market: county prices have moved up 23% since 2022. Everyday prices are the government's average for the Pittsfield metro area, not Richmond alone. Check current listings before you budget.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates; Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions); U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.

The people

Population, 2025 estimate: 1,4002020: 1,410
Median age: 62.1 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older: 38%U.S.: 17%
Under 18: 12%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more: 68%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year: 4%U.S.: 6%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Work

Biggest lines of work: Schools, health care and social services (45%); professional and business services (12%); retail (6%)
Unemployment rate: 3%U.S.: 5%
Average commute: 22 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home: 17%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line: 7%U.S.: 12%

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Health care

Nearest emergency room: Berkshire Medical Center, Pittsfield, MA, about 8 miles away. It's a general hospital. Medicare gives it 4 of 5 stars.

Look up doctors, clinics and the hospitals themselves on Medicare's Care Compare. Ask where the most serious cases are sent.

Sources: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information.

Schools

1 public school in Richmond, run by Richmond. The nearest public high school is Lenox Memorial High, about 6 miles away.

See each school on the federal school search, then check test scores and graduation rates on Massachusetts's school report card.

Sources: National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal); National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024.

Internet

Homes with cable, fiber or DSL internet: 86%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription: 96%U.S.: 91%

Before you buy, look up the address on the FCC's National Broadband Map to see which providers serve it.

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates.

Weather

January average low: 14°F
July average high: 79°F
Days 90°F or hotter: 2 a year
Nights at or below freezing: 153 a year
Rain and melted snow: 46.4 inches a year
Snow: 53 inches a year
Elevation: 1,050 feet

Weather stations: Pittsfield Muni Ap (5 miles away) and West Sand Lake 2 S (20 miles away, rain and snow). Averages for 1991 to 2020.

Sources: NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020; U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program.

Getting around

Berkshire Medical CenterEmergency room8

Troy, NYCity of 51,00029

Hartford, CTMetro of 1.2 million55

Straight-line miles. The road is always longer, and as the book says, an interstate at 70 is a different trip from a farm road at 45. Check the real drive: Berkshire Medical Center, Troy, Hartford.

Berkshire County is in a metro area of fewer than 250,000 people (USDA rural-urban code 3, on a scale where 1 is the biggest metro areas and 9 the most rural counties).

For a day

6 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including the Richmond Furnace Historical and Archeological District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

Appalachian National Scenic Trail10 miles
Martin Van Buren National Historic Site17 miles
New England National Scenic Trail39 miles
Saratoga National Historical Park43 miles
Springfield Armory National Historic Site44 miles

Read about Richmond's history on Wikipedia.

Know Richmond?

Tell us what a visitor shouldn't miss, and what living there is really like. Write to Main Street at mainstreet@smalltownguide.com. The best notes from people who know the town will be added here.

Nearby

Straight-line miles.

Small towns

Lenox, MA5,100 people, 5 miles
West Stockbridge, MA1,300 people, 5 miles
Stockbridge, MA2,000 people, 6 miles
Pittsfield, MA43,000 people, 7 miles
Lee, MA5,700 people, 8 miles
Great Barrington, MA7,200 people, 11 miles

Smaller places

Alford, MA488 people, 10 miles
Hancock, MA748 people, 10 miles
Washington, MA502 people, 10 miles
East Nassau, NY512 people, 13 miles
Tyringham, MA422 people, 13 miles
Ghent, NY (unincorporated)517 people, 14 miles

Sources

Census survey figures are estimates with a margin of error; we leave out any figure whose margin is too wide to be useful. Data last gathered October 5, 2026. See something wrong? Write to mainstreet@smalltownguide.com.