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Williamstown, Massachusetts

Williamstown is a college town of about 9,200 people in Berkshire County, Massachusetts. It has grown about 5% since 2020. A typical home costs about 4.1 years of the typical household's income, compared with 4.1 across the U.S. The nearest metro area of about a million people or more, Hartford, is about 70 miles away as the crow flies.

College town

Population
9,186
up 5.4% since 2020
Typical home, 2020-24
$437,100
Berkshire County prices up 23% since 2022
Household income
$106,650
U.S.: $80,734
Prices, Pittsfield area
95.1
U.S. average = 100
Emergency room
6 miles
North Adams, MA
To Hartford
70 mi
straight line

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 4.1 years of the typical household's income here. Across the U.S. it's 4.1.
  • A safer neighborhood2 violent crimes were reported in 2025, about 0.2 per 1,000 people (U.S.: 3.3). Property crime: 5.7 per 1,000 (U.S.: 15.3).
  • Schools in town4 public schools: 3 elementary and 1 high school.
  • A hospital close byNorth Adams Regional Hospital Corporation in North Adams, about 6 miles away, has the nearest emergency room.
  • Within reach of a big cityHartford is about 70 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 Williamstown 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

College town. About 29% of residents are college students, with Williams College in town. Concerts, sports and good food all year, and a big employer that rarely closes. Expect higher home prices close to campus.

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
$437,100U.S.: $332,700
Home prices since then
Up 23%Berkshire County, 2022 to 2025
Typical rent, with utilities
$1,584 a monthU.S.: $1,413
Typical household income
$106,650U.S.: $80,734
Homes owned by the people living in them
74%U.S.: 65%
Typical property tax bill
$5,290 a yearMassachusetts: $5,992
Homes built before 1940
33%U.S.: 12%
Homes built since 2010
6%U.S.: 11%
Vacation and seasonal homes
7%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 Williamstown 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
9,1862020: 8,719
Median age
37.5 yearsU.S.: 38.9
Age 65 and older
24%U.S.: 17%
Under 18
16%U.S.: 22%
Adults with a bachelor's degree or more
71%U.S.: 36%
Moved here from another county or state in the past year
15%U.S.: 6%
College students
29%share of all residents

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 (57%); professional and business services (7%); manufacturing (7%)
Unemployment rate
2%U.S.: 5%
Average commute
16 minutesU.S.: 26 minutes
Work from home
27%U.S.: 15%
Below the poverty line
11%U.S.: 12%

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

Health care

Nearest emergency room: North Adams Regional Hospital Corporation, North Adams, MA, about 6 miles away. It's a critical access hospital (a small rural hospital with 25 or fewer beds). Medicare hasn't given it a star rating.

Nearest general hospital: Southwestern Vermont Medical Center, Bennington, VT, about 12 miles away. Medicare gives it 3 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

4 public schools in Williamstown, run by Mount Greylock and North Adams.

Colleges in or next to town: Williams College (1,000 to 4,999 students).

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
84%U.S.: 76%
Homes with any internet subscription
95%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
81°F
Days 90°F or hotter
4 a year
Nights at or below freezing
149 a year
Rain and melted snow
46.4 inches a year
Snow
53 inches a year
Elevation
915 feet

Weather stations: North Adams Harriman Ap (3 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

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: North Adams Regional Hospital Corporation, 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

7 places on the National Register of Historic Places, including East Lawn Cemetery and Sherman Burbank Memorial Chapel, the Five Corners Historic District, the Mill Village Historic District and the Williamstown Rail Yard and Station Historic District.

National Park Service sites within about an hour:

  • Appalachian National Scenic Trail3 miles
  • Saratoga National Historical Park28 miles
  • Martin Van Buren National Historic Site33 miles
  • New England National Scenic Trail50 miles
  • Springfield Armory National Historic Site52 miles

Campus life. Check Williams College's events calendar for games, concerts and plays open to the public.

Read about Williamstown's history on Wikipedia.

Know Williamstown?

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

Smaller places

  • New Ashford, MA246 people, 6 miles
  • Florida, MA700 people, 11 miles
  • Stamford, VT848 people, 11 miles
  • Monroe, MA115 people, 12 miles
  • Savoy, MA655 people, 12 miles
  • Hancock, MA748 people, 12 miles
  • Readsboro, VT686 people, 14 miles
  • Windsor, MA817 people, 15 miles

Sources

  1. U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates (Vintage 2025)
  2. U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
  3. Federal Housing Finance Agency, House Price Index for counties (all transactions)
  4. U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
  5. FBI, Crime in the United States, Table 8 (offenses known to law enforcement by city)
  6. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, Hospital General Information
  7. National Center for Education Statistics, Common Core of Data, 2023-24 (via the Urban Institute Education Data Portal)
  8. National Center for Education Statistics, IPEDS institution directory, 2024
  9. NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information, U.S. Climate Normals 1991-2020
  10. U.S. Geological Survey, 3D Elevation Program
  11. National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places listings
  12. National Park Service, park unit boundaries
  13. USDA Economic Research Service, Rural-Urban Continuum Codes, 2023
  14. U.S. Census Bureau, 2025 Gazetteer files and 2020 urban areas

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.