Best PlacesSouth Amherst, Amherst, MA Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Amherst, Amherst, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. Local pay runs high here, and housing takes the biggest bite out of it. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Amherst, Amherst ranks 789th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on tree cover by a wide margin, and cell coverage ranks lowest.
The best neighborhoods in South Amherst, Amherst
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
South Amherst, Amherst's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Amherst, Amherst ranks high
- Tree shadeBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- QuietBetter than 98% of neighborhoods
- Health outlookBetter than 96% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Educational attainmentBetter than 92% of neighborhoods
Where South Amherst, Amherst ranks low
- Cell coverageBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- WalkabilityBetter than only 8% of neighborhoods
- Low property taxBetter than only 10% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 64 pleasant days a year, better than only 13% of neighborhoods
- Internet speedBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Amherst, Amherst
A household needs to earn about $127,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Amherst, Amherst home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That is only a little above the area's median income of $120,637; the gap is small, which keeps homes within reach of local pay.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses South Amherst, Amherst's effective rate of 1.67%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices, buying tends to cost more than renting for about the first 7 years, then pulls ahead as rent keeps rising and the mortgage builds equity. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Amherst, Amherst
South Amherst, Amherst's age mix sits close to the national median.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Amherst, Amherst.
Who works in South Amherst, Amherst, and how
Work in South Amherst, Amherst centers on education and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 56%
- Work from home 22%
- Transit, walk, or bike 22%
Life in South Amherst, Amherst
The map and measures below break down dining, culture, and green space by neighborhood across South Amherst, Amherst.
What the weather is like in South Amherst, Amherst, month by month
South Amherst, Amherst sees roughly 64 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 88 degrees. January highs sit near 39, with lows near 18. The comfortable stretch runs May through September.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 39° | 28° | 18° |
| April | 62° | 48° | 35° |
| July | 88° | 74° | 61° |
| October | 68° | 53° | 41° |
Flying in and out of South Amherst, Amherst
Bradley International sits about 28 miles away. It is a medium hub and boarded 3.3 million passengers in 2025, with 92 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around South Amherst, Amherst
Schools across South Amherst, Amherst average a B+, better than 83% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Hadley ElementaryA− · 60% proficient
- Wolf Swamp RoadB+ · 53% proficient
- Crocker Farm ElementaryB · 47% proficient
Top middle schools
- Amherst Regional Middle SchoolA− · 58% proficient
Top high schools
- Amherst Regional HighA+ · 80% proficient
- Hopkins AcademyB− · 45% proficient
- Granby Jr Sr High SchoolC · 33% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Amherst, Amherst school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Amherst, Amherst measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare South Amherst, Amherst against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Common questions about living in South Amherst, Amherst
Is South Amherst, Amherst a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Amherst, Amherst ranks 789th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on tree cover, quiet, and population health, and lowest on cell coverage and walkability. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Amherst, Amherst expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $433,943. The overall cost of living runs about 9% above the national average. Set against a $120,637 median income, cost of living beats 81% of neighborhoods.
Is South Amherst, Amherst safe?
Yes, South Amherst, Amherst is safer than 88% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $252 per resident a year.
Compare South Amherst, Amherst with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Amherst, Amherst. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Amherst, Amherst represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
South Amherst, Amherst detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Amherst, Amherst: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Amherst, Amherst: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Amherst, Amherst: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Amherst, Amherst: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Amherst, Amherst detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.