West Stockbridge is a very small town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 1,325 people and just one neighborhood, West Stockbridge is the 310th largest community in Massachusetts. Much of the housing stock in West Stockbridge was built prior to World War II, making it one of the older and more historic towns in the country.
Housing costs in West Stockbridge are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.
West Stockbridge is neither predominantly blue-collar nor white-collar, instead having a mixed workforce of both blue-collar and white-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.
West Stockbridge is a good choice for families with children because of several factors. Many other families with children live here, making it a place where both parents and children are more likely to develop social ties with other families. The town’s good public school district and large population of college-educated adults provide an environment conducive to academic success. Many people own their own single-family homes, providing areas for children to play and stability in the community. Finally, West Stockbridge’s overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.
The town is relatively quiet, having a combination of lower population density and few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. For example, West Stockbridge has relatively fewer families with younger children, and/or college students. Combined, this makes West Stockbridge a pretty quiet place to live overall. If you like quiet, you will probably enjoy it here.
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.
When you see a neighborhood for the first time, the most important thing is often the way it looks, like its homes and its setting. Some places look the same, but they only reveal their true character after living in them for a while because they contain a unique mix of occupational or cultural groups. This neighborhood is very unique in some important ways, according to NeighborhoodScout's exclusive exploration and analysis.
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 97.9% 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%).
Culture is the shared learned behavior of peoples. Undeniably, different ethnicities and ancestries have different cultural traditions, and as a result, neighborhoods with concentrations of residents of one or another ethnicities or ancestries will express those cultures. It is what makes the North End in Boston so fun to visit for the Italian restaurants, bakeries, culture, and charm, and similarly, why people enjoy visiting Chinatown in San Francisco.
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.
How you get to work – car, bus, train or other means – and how much of your day it takes to do so is a large quality of life and financial issue. Especially with gasoline prices rising and expected to continue doing so, the length and means of one's commute can be a financial burden. Some neighborhoods are physically located so that many residents have to drive in their own car, others are set up so many walk to work, or can take a train, bus, or bike. 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.