West Stockbridge is a very small town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 1,329 people and just one neighborhood, West Stockbridge is the 310th largest community in Massachusetts. West Stockbridge has an unusually large stock of pre-World War II architecture, making it one of the older and more historic towns.
Unlike some towns where white-collar or blue-collar occupations dominate the local economy, West Stockbridge is neither predominantly one nor the other. Instead, it has a mixed workforce of both white- and blue-collar jobs. Overall, West Stockbridge is a town of professionals, managers, and service providers. There are especially a lot of people living in West Stockbridge who work in management occupations (18.89%), art, media, and design (12.05%), and maintenance occupations (6.84%).
Of important note, West Stockbridge is also a town of artists. West Stockbridge has more artists, designers and people working in media than 90% of the communities in America. This concentration of artists helps shape West Stockbridge’s character.
Also of interest is that West Stockbridge has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.
One interesting thing about the economy is that relatively large numbers of people worked from their home: 23.93% of the workforce. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce this is high compared to the rest of the county. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.
Another notable thing is that West Stockbridge is an extremely popular vacation destination. A significant portion of the population is seasonal. During the vacation season, the town experiences a large influx of people who take up residence in second homes they own in the area. As the vacation season ends, the population drops again, leaving behind a substantially quieter and smaller town.
In addition, West Stockbridge is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are educated, wealthy, executives and professionals, who have urbane tastes in books, food, and travel, whether they actually live in a big city, or choose to reside in a small town. In big or medium-sized cities, urban sophisticates tend to frequent art institutions such as opera, symphonies, ballet, live theatre, and museums.
Because of many things, West Stockbridge is a great place for families with children to consider. First of all, many other families with children live here, making West Stockbridge a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families, as well as find family-oriented services and community. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic values. With regard to real estate, West Stockbridge has a high rate of owner-occupied single family homes, which tends to reflect stability in the local community. Finally, West Stockbridge’s overall crime rate ranks among the lowest in the country, making it one of the safest places to raise a family.
Residents will find that the town is relatively quiet. This is because it is not over-populated, and it has fewer college students, renters, and young children - all of whom can be noisy at times. So, if you're looking for a relatively peaceful place to live, West Stockbridge is worth considering.
Do you have a 4-year college degree or graduate degree? If so, you may feel right at home in West Stockbridge. 70.11% of adults here have a 4-year degree or graduate degree, whereas the national average for all cities and towns is just 21.84%.
The per capita income in West Stockbridge in 2022 was $72,614, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $290,456 for a family of four. However, West Stockbridge contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.
The people who call West Stockbridge home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of West Stockbridge residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in West Stockbridge include Irish, German, Italian, English, and French.
The most common language spoken in West Stockbridge is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and French.
Many things matter about a neighborhood, but the first thing most people notice is the way a neighborhood looks and its particular character. For example, one might notice whether the buildings all date from a certain time period or whether shop signs are in multiple languages. This particular neighborhood in West Stockbridge, the neighborhood, has some outstanding things about the way it looks and its way of life that are worth highlighting.
If you are planning to retire in Massachusetts, this neighborhood should be on your must-see list. For many reasons, may be considered a retiree's dream neighborhood. According to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis and metrics, it's peaceful and quiet, has above average safety from crime compared to other neighborhoods in Massachusetts, while also offering a diverse range of housing options. This, along with the vibrant mix of very educated seniors and other age groups who choose to live here, makes the neighborhood more retiree-friendly than 99.4% of neighborhoods in MA. If a Massachusetts retirement is in your future, this neighborhood should be one of the places you visit. In addition to being an excellent choice for active retirees, this neighborhood is also a very good choice for urban sophisticates and highly educated executives.
In addition, some neighborhoods have residents that are more educated than others. But in this neighborhood there is a dramatic difference. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that 36.7% of the adults here have earned a Masters degree, medical degree, Ph.D. or law degree. This is a higher rate of people with a graduate degree than is found in 95.8% of U.S. neighborhoods, where the average American neighborhood has 13.4% of its adults with a graduate degree. If you are highly educated, you may have much in common with many of your neighbors here.
Vacant homes and apartments are a significant characteristic of this neighborhood. In fact, with 40.1% of the residential real estate vacant, the neighborhood claims the distinction of having a higher vacancy rate than 97.5% of the neighborhoods in America. This can either be because much of the property is seasonally occupied, like in many vacation areas, or that much of the real estate is more permanently abandoned.
Did you know that the neighborhood has more Eastern European and Russian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 5.2% of this neighborhood's residents have Eastern European ancestry and 4.7% have Russian ancestry.
There are two complementary measures for understanding the income of a neighborhood's residents: the average and the extremes. While a neighborhood may be relatively wealthy overall, it is equally important to understand the rate of people - particularly children - who are living at or below the federal poverty line, which is extremely low income. Some neighborhoods with a lower average income may actually have a lower childhood poverty rate than another with a higher average income, and this helps us understand the conditions and character of a neighborhood.
The neighbors in the neighborhood in West Stockbridge are upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. NeighborhoodScout's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 69.3% of the neighborhoods in America. With 23.4% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 73.5% of U.S. neighborhoods.
The old saying "you are what you eat" is true. But it is also true that you are what you do for a living. The types of occupations your neighbors have shape their character, and together as a group, their collective occupations shape the culture of a place.
In the neighborhood, 56.8% of the working population is employed in executive, management, and professional occupations. The second most important occupational group in this neighborhood is sales and service jobs, from major sales accounts, to working in fast food restaurants, with 22.0% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (17.3%), and 2.4% in clerical, assistant, and tech support occupations.
The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 93.3% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (2.5%).
Boston's Beacon Hill blue-blood streets, Brooklyn's Orthodox Jewish enclaves, Los Angeles' Persian neighborhoods. Each has its own culture derived primarily from the ancestries and culture of the residents who call these neighborhoods home. Likewise, each neighborhood in America has its own culture – some more unique than others – based on lifestyle, occupations, the types of households – and importantly – on the ethnicities and ancestries of the people who live in the neighborhood. Understanding where people came from, who their grandparents or great-grandparents were, can help you understand how a neighborhood is today.
In the neighborhood in West Stockbridge, MA, residents most commonly identify their ethnicity or ancestry as Irish (20.2%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (14.7%), and residents who report English roots (13.8%), and some of the residents are also of Italian ancestry (13.8%), along with some French ancestry residents (8.4%), among others.
Even if your neighborhood is walkable, you may still have to drive to your place of work. Some neighborhoods are located where many can get to work in just a few minutes, while others are located such that most residents have a long and arduous commute. The greatest number of commuters in neighborhood spend between 15 and 30 minutes commuting one-way to work (41.4% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.
Here most residents (67.8%) drive alone in a private automobile to get to work. In a neighborhood like this, as in most of the nation, many residents find owning a car useful for getting to work.