Amherst is a medium-sized city located in the state of Massachusetts. With a population of 40,059 people and seven associated neighborhoods, Amherst is the 41st largest community in Massachusetts.

Housing costs in Amherst are among some of the highest in the nation, although real estate prices here don't compare to real estate prices in the most expensive communities in Massachusetts.

Also of interest is that Amherst has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

Telecommuters are a relatively large percentage of the workforce: 16.72% of people work from home. While this number may seem small overall, as a fraction of the total workforce it is high relative to the nation. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

Because Amherst has a very large number of students who are 18 years or older and in college, it is thought of as a college town. This has a major influence on local Amherst lifestyle, entertainment, and culture in general. Life in Amherst is very much tied to the academic calendar: when students return from the summer break in the fall, one will notice them out and about, buying groceries, out with friends, and generally getting re-acquainted with each other. In Amherst people study hard and play hard, and there is ample opportunity to do both.

Amherst, while not large, also appears to be attractive to some younger, educated professionals, who help shape the character of the city.

One of the benefits of Amherst is that there is very little traffic. The average commute to work is 19.20 minutes, which is substantially less than the national average. Not only does this mean that the drive to work is less aggravating, but noise and pollution levels are lower as a result.

Although the majority of commuting trips in the city are by private automobile, Amherst is somewhat unusual for a city of its size for having a substantial number of people who use public transportation. For a lot of people, the bus helps to get to and from their jobs every morning, which benefits everyone in the Amherst area by reducing both traffic and air pollution.

If knowledge is power, Amherst is a pretty powerful place. 72.31% of the adults in Amherst have earned a 4-year college degree, masters degree, MD, law degree, or even PhD. Compare that to the national average of 21.84% for all cities and towns.

The per capita income in Amherst in 2018 was $28,179, which is low income relative to Massachusetts, and lower middle income relative to the rest of the US. This equates to an annual income of $112,716 for a family of four. However, Amherst contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

Amherst is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call Amherst home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of Amherst residents report their race to be White, followed by Asian. Important ancestries of people in Amherst include Irish, Italian, English, German, and Polish.

Foreign born people are also an important part of Amherst's cultural character, accounting for 16.45% of the city’s population.

The most common language spoken in Amherst is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Chinese.