Living in Amherst Town, MA
Suburb in Massachusetts
Amherst Town is a suburb in Massachusetts, home to about 35,000 people, with 614,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
Is Amherst Town a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Mild summers: highs around 81°F
- Safe: violent crime is 0.7× the US rate (FBI 2019)
- Low natural disaster risk: 7 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Highly educated: 74% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, and 1 research university is within 31 mi
👎 Cons
- Higher taxes: about $3,502 state income tax per resident, 1.91% property tax
- Cloudier than most places
- Fewer family amenities than most places
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Amherst Town ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Amherst Town: common questions
What is the cost of living in Amherst Town?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $528k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,500 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 100, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Amherst Town?
Massachusetts collects about $3,502 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 1.91% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Amherst Town safe?
Violent crime is well below the national rate (0.7× in FBI 2019 data).
How are the schools in Amherst Town?
Public schools in Amherst Town test above the US average in math and reading (2018–19 state tests, put on one national scale with NAEP), with about 11 students per teacher.
What is the weather like in Amherst Town?
Amherst Town has cold winters: winter days average around 37°F and summer days around 81°F, with roughly 37″ of snow a year.
Does Amherst Town get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding and hurricanes: 7 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.22 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Amherst Town?
The nearest major airport is BDL, about 31 mi away.
How Amherst Town scores
Each bar compares Amherst Town with the other 1,990 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Amherst Town
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 24 aspects.
The circle is each place's all-round score out of 100: the average of its 15 quality scores, from red (poor) to green (excellent).
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Massachusetts.
Is Amherst Town right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.