What is the cost of living in Pittsfield?

Pittsfield has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 95.1, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 73.5, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,626/month.

What is the median salary in Pittsfield?

The median salary in Pittsfield is $73,362 annually (mean: $77,039). Top occupations include Home Health and Personal Care Aides, Retail Salespersons, General and Operations Managers.

How safe is Pittsfield?

The violent crime rate in the Pittsfield area is 309 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1101 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Pittsfield?

The state of MA has 1,831 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 12.3:1. Charter schools make up 4.2% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Pittsfield?

Infant center-based childcare in the Pittsfield area averages $20,571 per year. Preschool averages $14,656/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Pittsfield a good place to relocate?

Pittsfield has a Life Score of 41.3/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Pittsfield sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Pittsfield ranks #53 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Pittsfield, MA

LiveAbility 60.3/100 places Pittsfield #53 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

95.1
Cost index (US=100): $1,626
2BR rent / mo: $73,362
Median salary: 60.3
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Pittsfield ranks #53 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (60.3/100), with its strongest marks in schools and low hazard.

#53
of 387 US metros · Excellent: 7,136,171
metro-area population: 309
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 1,831
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: housing (24/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Pittsfield ranks #53 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 95.1 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,626/mo, median salary $73,362; LiveAbility Score 60.3/100, strongest in schools and low hazard.

Signature: LiveAbility 60.3/100 places Pittsfield #53 of 387 (top third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 95.1 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,626/mo.

LiveAbility 60.3/100 puts Pittsfield in the top third (#53 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Pittsfield area is 50,610.

Pittsfield vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

60 Top 14% higher than 86% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Pittsfield housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Pittsfield MSA; housing RPP 73.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,626/mo.

Studio

$1,245

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,269

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,626

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,109

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,577

/month

Pittsfield wages and employment

Pittsfield posts 50,610 total employment with median salary $73,362.

Median Salary

$73,362

Mean Salary

$77,039

Total Employment

50,610

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$40,160
Retail Salespersons	$35,540
General and Operations Managers	$98,210
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$34,680
Registered Nurses	$104,950

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Pittsfield area from NCES.

Schools

1,831

Enrollment

918,103

Student:Teacher

12.3:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Pittsfield area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$20,571

per year

Toddler (Center)

$18,516

per year

Preschool (Center)

$14,656

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Pittsfield's composite Life Score is 41.3/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

42/100

Below average

Wages

87/100

Elite

Rent

24/100

Weak

Crime

52/100

Average

Schools

10/100

Bottom decile

Childcare

1/100

Bottom decile

Environment

30/100

Weak

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Pittsfield ranks #53 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 60.3/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Schools (90/100)

Schools

90
Low hazard

90
Job market

87
Air quality

81
Safety

52
Cost of living

43
Climate

25
Housing

24

What this shows Pittsfield's strongest dimensions are schools and low hazard; its weakest among scored dims is housing at 24/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Pittsfield to

Modesto Monroe Monroe Montgomery Morgantown Morristown

Metros near Pittsfield on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Pittsfield on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Pittsfield cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Pittsfield wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Pittsfield?

Pittsfield runs a $73,362 median salary at a 95.1 cost index, ranking #53 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Pittsfield's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Pittsfield head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Pittsfield
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.