City · Hampden County, Massachusetts

Palmer Town, Massachusetts

Palmer Town is a city in Hampden County, Massachusetts, part of the Springfield, MA metro area. It has 12,381 residents. Palmer Town, Massachusetts has a quality-of-life score of 40 out of 100 (moderate), ranking #9,371 of 15,651 US cities and towns. Within Massachusetts it ranks #218 of 225 cities and towns. It ranks best on mental health providers (high), distance to an Amtrak station (low) and uninsured residents (under 65) (low). It ranks worst on child care cost burden (high), time spent in the emergency room (high) and violent crime rate (high).

40Moderate

Quality-of-life score: #9,371 of 15,651 cities and towns
Massachusetts: #218 of 225 in MA
Population: 12,381 (2020-2024)
Land area: 32 mi²
Density: 392.1 /mi²
FIPS code: 2552144

Percentile-based score (100 is the best in the country) from 76 of 80 indicators, with the default “Explorer” weights.

Open in the map

Scores by category

Each category averages its indicators' percentile scores among US cities and towns.

Safety28#11,302/15,637
Economy51#7,678/15,631
Housing24#11,317/14,977
Health39#9,449/15,609
Healthcare80#3,138/15,650
Environment50#7,654/15,453
Education48#8,078/15,649
Infrastructure46#8,510/15,650
Community39#9,567/15,651
Leisure & amenities39#9,524/15,651

Strengths · Weaknesses

Indicators where Palmer Town, Massachusetts ranks highest and lowest among US cities and towns (score = percentile, 100 = best). Values marked “Hampden County value” are the county’s: the source publishes no figure for this city or town, and the county holding most of its residents stands in.

Strengths

Mental health providers · high1,193 /100k
100/100Massachusetts 787 /100kUnited States 348 /100k2025University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHampden County value
Distance to an Amtrak station · low5 mi
97/100Massachusetts 11 miUnited States 43 mi2026Federal Aviation Administration · Bureau of Transportation Statistics · U.S. Census BureauHampden County value
Uninsured residents (under 65) · low1.5%
95/100Massachusetts 3.3%United States 9.8%2020-2024U.S. Census Bureau Census table B27010High uncertainty
Students per teacher · low11.5×
90/100Massachusetts 11.9×United States 15.2×2024National Center for Education StatisticsHampden County value
Public EV charging ports · high11.6 /10k
86/100Massachusetts 16.4 /10kUnited States 7.6 /10kOct 2026U.S. Department of EnergyHampden County value
Mammography screening · high53.0%
85/100Massachusetts 54.0%United States 46.0%2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHampden County value

Weaknesses

Child care cost burden · high45.1%
2/100Massachusetts 39.7%United States 27.9%2023 & 2024University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHampden County value
Time spent in the emergency room · high248 min
3/100Massachusetts 216 minUnited States 170 minOct 2024–Sep 2025Centers for Medicare & Medicaid ServicesHampden County value
Violent crime rate · high578 /100k
6/100Massachusetts 303 /100kUnited States 328 /100k2025Federal Bureau of InvestigationHampden County value
Mental health care shortage · high18.4
6/100Massachusetts 1.9United States 9.9Oct 2026Health Resources and Services AdministrationHampden County value
Depression · high29.8%
6/100Massachusetts 24.4%United States 20.7%2023Centers for Disease Control and PreventionModel-based estimate
Preventable hospital stays · high4,089 /100k
7/100Massachusetts 3,344 /100kUnited States 2,769 /100k2023University of Wisconsin Population Health InstituteHampden County value

Trends

The largest changes over about five years, next to the country's over the same periods.

Child poverty rateImproving
15.4% (2015-2019) → 6.4% (2020-2024)
−9 pts5 yearsCensus table B17001US 16.8% → 15.5%
Rent-burdened householdsWorsening
45.0% (2015-2019) → 52.9% (2020-2024)
+7.9 pts5 yearsCensus table B25070US 49.6% → 51.1%
Broadband subscriptionsImproving
82.8% (2015-2019) → 90.4% (2020-2024)
+7.6 pts5 yearsCensus table B28002US 82.7% → 91.0%
New homes permittedWorsening
1.0 /1k (2021) → 0.7 /1k (Sep 2025–Aug 2026)
−30%5 yearsUS 5.2 /1k → 4.2 /1k
Median household incomeImproving
$64,651 (2015-2019) → $78,480 (2020-2024)
+21%5 yearsCensus table B19013US $65,712 → $81,604
Rent as share of incomeWorsening
28.3% (2015-2019) → 32.0% (2020-2024)
+3.7 pts5 yearsCensus table B25071US 29.8% → 30.6%

What changed in five years

How each measure moved between two periods about five years apart, read against whether more or less is better, the published margin of error and the same change in other places.

Over about five years, Palmer Town, Massachusetts improved on 3 of 12 measures with a comparison and declined on 0. 9 moved within the margin of error and 0 barely changed.

Earlier (2015-2019)
Latest (2020-2024)
Lower standingHigher standing

Position is the place's standing among cities and towns: further right is better, whichever way the measure counts.

Improved3

Unemployment−3.5 points6.4% → 2.9%
Broadband+7.6 points82.8% → 90.4%
Household income+21%$64,651 → $78,480

Declined0

No measure declined by more than its margin of error.

All 12 measures

Change of every measure of Palmer Town, Massachusetts between two periods about five years apart
Measure	Before	After	Change	Reading	Favourable vs peers
Average commute time	27.7 min2015-2019	31.3 min2020-2024	+3.6 min	Within the margin of error	16%
Bachelor's degree or higher	24.9%2015-2019	23.5%2020-2024	−1.4 points	Within the margin of error	19%
Broadband subscriptions	82.8%2015-2019	90.4%2020-2024	+7.6 points	Improved	47%
Effective property tax rate	1.81%2015-2019	1.61%2020-2024	−0.2 points	Within the margin of error	58%
High school diploma or higher	91.7%2015-2019	89.8%2020-2024	−1.8 points	Within the margin of error	16%
Home price to income ratio	3.0×2015-2019	3.5×2020-2024	+0.4×	Within the margin of error	54%
Income inequality (Gini index)	0.4172015-2019	0.4502020-2024	+0.033	Within the margin of error	25%
Median household income	$64,6512015-2019	$78,4802020-2024	+21%	Improved	36%
Poverty rate	11.3%2015-2019	8.3%2020-2024	−3 points	Within the margin of error	70%
Rent as share of income	28.3%2015-2019	32.0%2020-2024	+3.7 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Rent-burdened households	45.0%2015-2019	52.9%2020-2024	+7.9 points	Within the margin of error	29%
Unemployment rate	6.4%2015-2019	2.9%2020-2024	−3.5 points	Improved	92%

“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 14640 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.

Sources: American Community Survey 5-Year Estimates. Values are the latest and the one five years earlier of the same publisher dataset; datasets that changed publisher in between are never compared.

Survey estimates (American Community Survey) compare the two most recent 5-year windows that do not share years, so the margin of error of the difference holds. The 2015-2019 window predates the pandemic and 2020-2024 includes it.
A change counts only when it is larger than 1.645 times the square root of the two standard errors squared, summed (a 90% margin). Measures published without a margin must change by at least 5% to count.
“Against peers” compares the change with the same change in the 15651 cities and towns that have the same two periods. It describes how common a change is, not why it happened.
Standing is a percentile among the same places: 0 is the lowest value on the measure (or the worst when lower is better), 100 the best.

Cities and towns like Palmer Town, Massachusetts five years ago that improved

The places whose measures looked most like those of Palmer Town, Massachusetts in the earlier period, ranked by how many measures improved beyond the margin of error, minus how many declined. A comparison of published data, not a forecast and not advice.

For comparison, Palmer Town, Massachusetts itself moved −12.3 points in standing on average over the same 10 measures (standings of all places average about zero).

How the ranking works

Similarity is the root-mean-square difference of standings in the earlier period over the measures most places have. Places are ranked by measures that improved beyond the margin of error minus those that declined (a count that estimation noise in small places cannot inflate), then by the mean change of standing over the measures a place has in both periods. Only places with more improvements than declines and a rise in standing are listed. Standings are relative, so a place can improve in absolute terms and still lose standing.

Who lives here

Age, race and education of residents, from the American Community Survey. Shares are of all residents (age), residents of every origin (race) or adults 25 and over (education).

Age and sex

12,381 residents (±35)

Men
Women

80 and over†
70–79†
60–69

Income

How household income is spread, not just the middle: each bar is the share of households in that income range.

Household income

5,496 households (±357)

Palmer Town, Massachusetts
Massachusetts share

Under $25k16%886
$25k–50k15%818
$50k–75k16%†860

Homes

Who owns and who rents, what homes cost, and what the housing stock looks like.

Owners and renters

5,496 households (±357)

Palmer Town, Massachusetts
Massachusetts share

Own71%3,929
Rent29%1,567

No change since 2015–2019 is larger than the margin of error.

Table view

Getting to work

How workers travel to their job and how long it takes them.

How people get to work

6,404 workers (±522)

Palmer Town, Massachusetts
Massachusetts share

Drive alone82%5,228
Carpool7.7%†494
Public transit0.2%†

Jobs and pay

What the largest occupations here pay, from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes pay by metro area, not by county or city. The metro area page lists its largest occupations and lets you look up any job.

Pay in the Springfield, MA

Local businesses

Employer businesses and sole proprietors by industry, per resident and against the state and the nation. Counts of businesses next to counts of people, not a measure of demand.

The Census Bureau publishes business counts by county, not by city, so these are the figures of Hampden County, the county holding most of Palmer Town's residents.

Hampden County has 9,339 employer establishments, 202 for every 10,000 residents (0.81× the US rate of 248; 0.78× Massachusetts's), with 168,744 paid employees at an average annual pay of $57,005. The Census Bureau also counts 32,688 nonemployer businesses, mostly sole proprietors.

Establishments: 9,339; 32,688 nonemployers
Per 10,000 residents: 202; US 248 · Massachusetts 260
Paid employees: 168,744
Average annual pay: $57,005; US $68,342

Employer establishments, employees, average pay and nonemployers of Hampden County by industry, with the density per resident against the nation

Restaurants and other eating places	739	16	0.87×About typical	12,422	$24,315	181
Ambulatory health care services	695	15	0.72×Fewer than typical	15,903	$73,997	1,343
Specialty trade contractors	616	13.3	0.86×About typical	5,843	$82,291	1,999
Lessors of real estate	369	8	0.65×Fewer than typical	1,899	$52,648	3,227
Full-service restaurants	335	7.2	0.94×About typical	6,136	$24,867	69
Services to buildings and dwellings	330	7.1	1.06×About typical	1,874	$45,951	1,518
Limited-service restaurants	286	6.2	0.77×Fewer than typical	4,510	$22,954	77
Building equipment contractors	265	5.7	0.95×About typical	3,519	$84,973	421
Construction of buildings	263	5.7	0.75×Fewer than typical	1,530	$75,073	986
Automotive repair and maintenance	239	5.2	1.03×About typical	1,317	$49,670	360
Grocery and convenience stores	229	5	1.67×More than typical	4,419	$28,282	125
Landscaping services	217	4.7	1.34×More than typical	686	$76,433	460

Rank places for an industry Open Hampden County

County Business Patterns (2023); Nonemployer Statistics (2024)

Per-resident figures divide by the population estimate of 2023: 462,133 residents here, 336,755,052 in the United States. County Business Patterns counts establishments in 2023; the Nonemployer Statistics count businesses in 2024.
“More than typical” is a density at least 1.25 times the nation's per resident, “fewer” at most 0.8 times, with at least 10 establishments. It compares counts of businesses with counts of people: it says nothing about demand, incomes, size, quality or profit, and visitors and commuters are not residents.
The Census Bureau adds noise to employment and payroll to protect confidentiality, and withholds some figures: an industry with few establishments can show employees or pay as unavailable.
Industries overlap: a narrower industry (full-service restaurants) is part of a broader one (restaurants), so the rows do not add up.
Industries follow the North American Industry Classification System; the two surveys use different editions (NAICS 2017 and 2022), which this page matches industry by industry.

Federal contracts performed here

In FY2026, an estimated $296.2K of federal contract obligations were for work performed in Palmer Town, Massachusetts: $23.92 per resident (US $1,994).

Obligations: $296.2K; +792% vs FY2025
Per resident: $23.92; US $1,994
Sole-source: 0.0%; US 30%
Single offer: 0.0%; US 8.8%

A signal is a reason to look closer, not evidence of wrongdoing: most sole-source awards are lawful and justified.

Top buying agencies

Department of the Navy$296.2K100%

Top recipients

GTB CASES CORP.$296.2K100%

Spending by fiscal year

17.2KFY2017
42KFY2018
22.5KFY2019
-13KFY2020
0FY2022
12.7KFY2023
0FY2024
33.2KFY2025

Top industries (NAICS)

Plastics product manufacturing · 3261$296.2K100%

Largest awards whose ZIP code lies mostly in Palmer Town, Massachusetts

SUBMARINE HIGH DATA RATE SHIPPING BOX FOR CRITICAL SYSTEMS$306.7K
GTB CASES CORP.· Hampden County, MA· Other equipment & supplies· Nov 26, 2025 – Nov 26, 2025· N6660426P0027

Source: Federal contract transactions (Federal Procurement Data System) (U.S. Department of the Treasury, USAspending.gov), data current to Oct 3, 2026, loaded Oct 3, 2026.

How this is estimated

Agencies report each contract action's place of performance as a county and a ZIP code. A ZIP code's money is split among the cities it covers by the share of its land inside each (Census 2020 ZIP code tabulation areas); the part outside city limits stays with the county.

The place of performance is what the contracting agency reports, often the contractor's office rather than where the work happens.
Shares are of land, not of people or businesses: a ZIP code that is mostly rural land but has its offices in town gives the town less than it should.
ZIP codes that are not mapped areas (post office boxes, the unique ZIP codes of large federal sites and companies) stay with their county, unless one city covers nearly all of it.
Counts of actions and awards include those only partly in Palmer Town, Massachusetts, so they do not add up across cities.

Palmer Town, Massachusetts's figures are part of those of Hampden County, MA ($56.9M in FY2026), never added to them: 0.5% of that total.

Grants and other federal assistance are counted by county here, not split among cities: Palmer Town is mostly in Hampden County.

See federal money in Hampden County

Representation in Congress

Members serving today, with their record in the current Congress (party-unity votes cast with their caucus, roll calls missed). Not a grade.

Palmer Town, Massachusetts is represented in the 119th Congress by these members.

House

Richard E. NealD-MA-1 · 100% of residentsWith party 99%Missed 7.0%

Senate

Explore Congress The 2026 races

County

A city can lie in several counties. Some indicators are published for counties only: the page marks them.

Hampden County49100% of residents

Metro area

The metro or micro area the city belongs to.

Springfield, MA44

Other cities and towns in Hampden County

Largest first.

Similar cities and towns

Closest indicator profiles across the country (no model: score distances).

Data and sources

Latest published value of each indicator; periods differ by source. Values flagged by their publisher are marked.

PLACES: Local Data for Better HealthCenters for Disease Control and Prevention · release 2025
Local Area Unemployment StatisticsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · release 2025
American Community Survey 5-Year EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2017-2024
Building Permits SurveyU.S. Census Bureau · release 2026-08
Population Estimates ProgramU.S. Census Bureau · release 2025
Small Area Health Insurance EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
Small Area Income and Poverty EstimatesU.S. Census Bureau · release 2024
County Health Rankings & RoadmapsUniversity of Wisconsin Population Health Institute · release 2022-2025+2026-03-supplement

JSON · /api/v1/places/2552144

Scores by category

Strengths · Weaknesses

Strengths

Weaknesses

Trends