West Stockbridge, MA

Overview

West Stockbridge is a very small town located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 1,323 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.

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.

Occupations and Workforce

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 (16.54%), art, media, and design (10.41%), and food service (7.50%).

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鈥檚 character.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 24.50% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. 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.

Setting & Lifestyle

Another notable thing is that West Stockbridge is a major vacation destination. Much of the town鈥檚 population is seasonal: many people own second homes and only live there part-time, during the vacation season. The effect on the local economy is that many of the businesses are dependent on tourist dollars, and may operate only during the high season. As the vacation season ends, West Stockbridge鈥檚 population drops significantly, such that year-round residents will notice that the city is a much quieter place to live.

In addition, West Stockbridge is home to many people who could be described as "urban sophisticates". Urban sophisticates are people who are both educated and wealthy, and thus tend to be older, richer, and more established than young professionals. "Urban sophisticates" is not just about being educated and well-off financially: it is a point of view and state of mind, one that you might call 'urbaneness'. But such people can and do regularly live in small towns, suburbs and rural areas, as well as in big cities. They read, support the arts and high-end shops, and love travel.

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鈥檚 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鈥檚 overall crime rate is lower than average for the country.

It is a fairly quiet town because there are relatively few of those groups of people who have a tendency to be noisy. (Children, for example, often can't help themselves from being noisy, and being parents ourselves, we know!) West Stockbridge has relatively few families with children living at home, and is quieter because of it. Renters and college students, for their own reasons, can also be noisy. West Stockbridge has few renters and college students. But the biggest reason it is quieter in West Stockbridge than in most places in America, is that there are just simply fewer people living here. If you think trees make good neighbors, West Stockbridge may be for you.

Demographics

Do you like to read, write and learn? If you move to West Stockbridge, you'll likely find that many of your neighbors like to as well. West Stockbridge is one of the more educated communities in America, with a full 76.10% of its adults having a college degree or even advanced degree, compared to a national average across all communities of 21.84%.

The per capita income in West Stockbridge in 2022 was $85,961, which is wealthy relative to Massachusetts and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $343,844 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.

Notable & Unique Neighborhood Characteristics

The way a neighborhood looks and feels when you walk or drive around it, from its setting, its buildings, and its flavor, can make all the difference. This neighborhood has some really cool things about the way it looks and feels as revealed by 蘑菇视频's exclusive research. This might include anything from the housing stock to the types of households living here to how people get around.

People

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 蘑菇视频'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 99.2% 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. 蘑菇视频's exclusive analysis reveals that 39.8% 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 96.9% of U.S. neighborhoods, where the average American neighborhood has 13.7% of its adults with a graduate degree. If you are highly educated, you may have much in common with many of your neighbors here.

Real Estate

One of the notable things about is that it is one of the quietest neighborhoods in America, according to 蘑菇视频's exclusive analysis and quantitative rating of quietness. When you are here, you will find it to be very quiet. If quiet and peaceful are your cup of tea, you may have found a great place for you.

In addition, despite all of the residential real estate here in the neighborhood, 蘑菇视频 has discovered that much of it is vacant. In resort or second-home vacation areas, this naturally occurs because homes and apartments are seasonally occupied, and empty for a portion of the year. In non-vacation or resort areas, however, this can be an indicator of property abandonment or a weak real estate market. The vacancy rate here is 37.4%, which is higher than 97.2% of all U.S. neighborhoods.

Occupations

It used to be that most Americans lived on the farm, or otherwise made their living from the land, the forests, or the sea. With global trade and an economy increasingly based on providing services to one another, fewer people farm, fish or harvest timber now than at any time in American history. But according to 蘑菇视频's leading analysis, the neighborhood stands apart from most American neighborhood due to the proportion of its residents still working in these fields. With 3.7% of the workforce so employed, this neighborhood has a greater concentration of such workers than 95.4% of U.S. neighborhoods.

Diversity

Did you know that the neighborhood has more Eastern European and Brazilian ancestry people living in it than nearly any neighborhood in America? It's true! In fact, 5.5% of this neighborhood's residents have Eastern European ancestry and 1.2% have Brazilian ancestry.

is also pretty special linguistically. Significantly, 0.6% of its residents five years old and above primarily speak Japanese at home. While this may seem like a small percentage, it is higher than 95.7% of the neighborhoods in America.

The Neighbors

How wealthy a neighborhood is, from very wealthy, to middle income, to low income is very formative with regard to the personality and character of a neighborhood. Equally important is the rate of people, particularly children, who live below the federal poverty line. In some wealthy gated communities, the areas immediately surrounding can have high rates of childhood poverty, which indicates other social issues. 蘑菇视频's analysis reveals both aspects of income and poverty for this neighborhood.

The neighbors in the neighborhood in West Stockbridge are upper-middle income, making it an above average income neighborhood. 蘑菇视频's exclusive analysis reveals that this neighborhood has a higher income than 73.1% of the neighborhoods in America. With 28.0% of the children here below the federal poverty line, this neighborhood has a higher rate of childhood poverty than 79.8% of U.S. neighborhoods.

What we choose to do for a living reflects who we are. Each neighborhood has a different mix of occupations represented, and together these tell you about the neighborhood and help you understand if this neighborhood may fit your lifestyle.

In the neighborhood, 56.7% 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 22.1% of the residents employed. Other residents here are employed in manufacturing and laborer occupations (14.7%), and 3.7% in farming, forestry, or commercial fishing.

Languages

The most common language spoken in the neighborhood is English, spoken by 91.0% of households. Some people also speak Spanish (3.5%).

Ethnicity / Ancestry

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 (21.4%). There are also a number of people of German ancestry (15.0%), and residents who report Italian roots (13.1%), and some of the residents are also of English ancestry (9.7%), along with some French ancestry residents (7.6%), among others.

Getting to Work

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 (40.7% of working residents), which is shorter than the time spent commuting to work for most Americans.

Here most residents (65.0%) 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.

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