Springfield and Chicopee can be compared on the same public measures, but the most useful choice is between actual homes that meet the same requirements. Decide whether you are comparing single-family ownership, a two-family purchase or renting before drawing conclusions from the figures. Each path has a different set of bills and responsibilities.
What does the assessment comparison actually show?
The recorded median single-family assessment is $267,900 in Springfield and $287,000 in Chicopee. These are values from the municipal assessment rolls, with their periods identified below. They are not asking prices for equivalent homes. The underlying mix of sizes, conditions and locations can differ. Use the comparison to frame a search, then match actual houses by type and condition before deciding whether a price difference represents a different building or a different location.
Massachusetts Department of Revenue: determining property values.
Does a two-family property change the calculation?
The two-family medians are $312,200 for Springfield and $312,000 for Chicopee. That separate category matters because a two-family building brings a different operating budget from a single-family house. Verify lawful units, leases, utility meters and shared maintenance. A tax classification does not certify occupancy permissions. If rent supports the plan, use documented income and expenses, and calculate whether you can carry the building during a vacancy or an unexpected repair rather than assuming every month will be fully occupied.
Which costs need a property-specific comparison?
Start with current tax bills and insurance quotes, then use identical loan assumptions. The annual tax illustrations below apply to each town's median single-family assessment and should not be substituted for duplex bills. Add necessary building work and the actual commute to your destination. The survey mean travel time describes many journeys and cannot predict yours. A reliable comparison explains the complete monthly expense, the cash left after closing and the responsibilities each property would place on the household.
What does the local record show?
These towns provide local context for the decision in this article. The figures describe the published records and survey periods identified below. Compare the same measures across places, then confirm the details of any actual home before using them in a budget or offer.
Local Figures for This Decision
Download CSV, same columns, same definitions
Selected municipalities, shown alphabetically. Definitions below distinguish assessments, administrative benchmarks and survey estimates from current market quotes.
| Town | Single-family Assessment | Annual Tax Illustration | Two-family Assessment | Mean Commute Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicopee | $287,000 | $4,374 | $312,000 | 21.1 |
| Springfield | $267,900 | $4,181 | $312,200 | 20.9 |
What These Columns Mean
- Town
- Municipality; follow its record below for the full data and address check.
- Single-family Assessment
- Median assessed value of single-family parcels. This is a tax-roll statistic, not an asking price, appraisal or median sale price. Assessment years are identified in the sources.
- Annual Tax Illustration
- The published residential rate applied to the town's median single-family assessment, including the recorded community preservation surcharge and its general first-value exemption where adopted. Individual exemptions, special assessments and a future reassessment can change an actual bill.
- Two-family Assessment
- Median assessed value of parcels classified as two-family. A tax classification does not certify lawful occupancy, current rents, vacant possession or a second unit's permit status.
- Mean Commute Minutes
- Survey mean travel time to work for workers who travel to work. This is not a drive-time prediction to a chosen employer, a rush-hour estimate or a promise about a particular route.
Cite: RE413. “Local Figures for This Decision.” Updated September 19, 2026. https://www.re413.com/news/springfield-vs-chicopee-ma/, underlying sources at https://www.re413.com/sources/.
Chicopee's town record. Single-family assessment: $287,000. Annual tax illustration: $4,374. Two-family assessment: $312,000. Mean commute minutes: 21.1.
Springfield's town record. Single-family assessment: $267,900. Annual tax illustration: $4,181. Two-family assessment: $312,200. Mean commute minutes: 20.9.
How has the published average tax bill changed?
This is the Department of Revenue's published average single-family tax-bill series in nominal dollars. It is a different measure from the current median-assessment illustration above. Changes can reflect the tax levy, assessed values and the housing stock; this is not a forecast of the bill for a home you buy.
Published Average Single-Family Tax Bill
SpringfieldChicopee
Springfield$4,254Chicopee$4,580Fiscal 2026; common reporting years
What should you check next?
- Choose one property type and compare candidates with similar space, condition and intended occupancy.
- For a two-family purchase, obtain approved-use records, leases, utility allocations and an operating budget.
- Replace town-level tax illustrations with actual bills and test the work route from each candidate address.
Keep the address, document date and source alongside each answer. If records disagree, identify which period and property each describes before treating the difference as a change. A missing result leaves a question open; it does not establish that a property has no problem or no cost.
Where can you continue the comparison?
Browse all housing guides by subject.
Open the linked town records for the wider context, including sources and dates. Use the property-specific records to narrow a decision, and keep current quotes separate from the historical figures used to explain it here.
Which official guidance supports this article?
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue: determining property values. Guidance checked 2026-09-05; confirm current requirements for your transaction.
Sources
- MassGIS and municipal assessors. single-family assessment, annual tax illustration, two-family assessment. Figures through Chicopee: FY2026; Springfield: FY2026. Checked 2026-08-21.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services. annual tax illustration. Figures through Chicopee: FY2026; Springfield: FY2026. Checked 2026-08-05.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue, community preservation records. annual tax illustration. Checked 2026-08-05.
- U.S. Census Bureau, commuting survey. mean commute minutes. Figures through 2023. Checked 2026-08-05.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue, historical average single-family tax bills. Published annual mean bills in the chart; nominal dollars, with only common reporting years in a two-town comparison. Figures through FY2010–FY2026. Checked 2026-08-05.
"Figures through" is the period the publisher's data describes; "checked" is only when we last asked. The full sourcing: sources and method.