A Springfield-versus-Holyoke search needs a consistent building comparison. A smaller updated house and a larger building needing work are different purchases even if they have similar asking prices. Public assessments and construction-year records can help describe the stock, while property-specific documents reveal what the household would actually acquire and maintain.
How do the single-family records differ?
The median assessed value is $267,900 in Springfield and $262,450 in Holyoke. The corresponding annual tax illustrations are $4,181 and $4,603. Those tax figures apply each recorded local rate to that town's median assessment, so they combine a rate difference with a housing-stock difference. They do not isolate the tax effect on an identical property. To investigate a particular pair of houses, compare their current bills and the assumptions behind them.
Massachusetts Department of Revenue: determining property values.
What does the building-age comparison contribute?
The median recorded year built is 1951 in Springfield and 1950 in Holyoke. This does not measure condition or the date of renovation. Use it to prepare questions about roofs, heating, electrical service and converted spaces. Ask for work records and inspection findings rather than attaching a standard repair allowance to an age. A building with documented improvements and a building with unknown system history should not be treated as equivalent simply because their recorded dates are close.
How should a buyer account for extra units?
A two-family property requires a separate review of approved use, current leases, utility responsibility and maintenance access. The category medians below are assessment statistics, not income forecasts. Obtain actual rent and expense documentation and consider the costs that remain during vacancy. For either property type, put cash required at closing beside the cash needed for early repairs. The stronger financial position may depend on reserves and condition as much as the headline purchase amount or the municipality in which the building sits.
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 | Median Year Built | Two-family Assessment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Holyoke | $262,450 | $4,603 | 1950 | $278,700 |
| Springfield | $267,900 | $4,181 | 1951 | $312,200 |
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.
- Median Year Built
- Middle recorded construction year of single-family homes in the assessment data. It describes building age, not renovation date, condition, lead status or energy performance.
- 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.
Cite: RE413. “Local Figures for This Decision.” Updated September 19, 2026. https://www.re413.com/news/springfield-vs-holyoke-ma/, underlying sources at https://www.re413.com/sources/.
Holyoke's town record. Single-family assessment: $262,450. Annual tax illustration: $4,603. Median year built: 1950. Two-family assessment: $278,700.
Springfield's town record. Single-family assessment: $267,900. Annual tax illustration: $4,181. Median year built: 1951. Two-family assessment: $312,200.
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
SpringfieldHolyoke
Springfield$4,254Holyoke$5,319Fiscal 2026; common reporting years
What should you check next?
- Compare the same building type and separate differences in tax rates from differences in the properties being taxed.
- Use inspection and work records to evaluate condition; do not infer it from construction age.
- For multi-unit candidates, verify lawful occupancy and build a budget from documented rents, expenses and reserve needs.
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, median year built, two-family assessment. Figures through Holyoke: FY2026; Springfield: FY2026. Checked 2026-08-21.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue, Division of Local Services. annual tax illustration. Figures through Holyoke: FY2026; Springfield: FY2026. Checked 2026-08-05.
- Massachusetts Department of Revenue, community preservation records. annual tax illustration. 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.