Community & Data
Demographics
A Portrait of Petersham
Petersham spreads 1,194 people across about 54 square miles of hill country, which leaves far more land than people to the square mile, and the census numbers describe a town of homeowners: 90.7 percent of its housing units are owner-occupied, households average 2.4 people, and the median household income is $107,656. More than one resident in four is 65 or over. Figures below are from the U.S. Census Bureau and the Secretary of the Commonwealth. Follow the source links for the latest.
Key Figures
Sources: US Census Bureau (data.census.gov).
Population & Households
- Population (2020 Census): 1,194
- Households: 463
- Persons per household: 2.4
- Foreign-born: 2.1% of residents
- Age 65 and over: 27.9%
- In the labor force: 58.0%
Race & Ethnicity
- White: 88.5%
- Asian: 0.6%
- Black or African American: 0.7%
- Hispanic or Latino (any race): 3.9%
- White, non-Hispanic: 88.2%
- Speak a language other than English at home: 4.1%
Economy & Housing
- Median household income: $107,656
- Poverty rate: 8.9%
- Median home value: $375,000
- Median gross rent: $1,214
- Homeownership: 90.7% of units
- In the labor force: 58.0%
Registered Voters
Massachusetts publishes voter-registration counts by town through the Secretary of the Commonwealth. As in most of the state, Petersham’s largest bloc by far is voters who choose no party at all, which makes them the group every candidate has to win.
- Total registered: 1,115
- Unenrolled (no party): 780 (69.96%)
- Democrats: 203 (18.21%)
- Republicans: 121 (10.85%)
Sources
See how Petersham fits into the broader Commonwealth.