What stands out worked out from the figures below

Beacon Falls has the most people working from home (20.3%).

Northbridge has the most expensive homes ($449k median).

What matters to you?

Pick a few. We’ll pull those rows to the top and mark which town comes out ahead on each. There’s no overall score: what matters is up to you.

Raising kidsAffordabilityOwning a homeShort commuteWorking from homeYounger crowdSettled, older crowdGrowing town

Measure	Beacon Falls	Northbridge
People
Population	6,147Lowest	16,458Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.4±3.8Highest 24% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Beacon Falls and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Northbridge and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Beacon Falls and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,516±$42kLowest 26% above U.S.	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$350,300±$34kLowest 5% above U.S.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,921±$286Highest 36% above U.S.	$1,207±$102Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,534Highest 109% above U.S.	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±30.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	20.3%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Beacon Falls and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#77 of 149 in CT	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Regional School District 16	Northbridge
High school in town	Woodland Regional High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	10.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. average · Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates 2020–2024; 2010 & 2020 decennial census; NCES Common Core of Data. “±” is the Census margin of error. Property tax is top-coded by the Census at $10,000+. School rank compares math and reading proficiency against the state average.