What stands out worked out from the figures below

Beacon Falls has the most affordable homes ($350k median).

Sturbridge has the highest household income ($137k).

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	Sturbridge
People
Population	6,147Lowest	9,960Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.4±3.8Highest 24% above U.S.	47.2±2.6Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Beacon Falls and Sturbridge 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%	20.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sturbridge 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%	19.8%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Beacon Falls and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Beacon Falls and Sturbridge 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.	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.
	Sturbridge 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.	$425,800±$18kHighest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,921±$286Highest 36% above U.S.	$1,193±$398Lowest 16% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,534Highest 109% above U.S.	$6,520Lowest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.7%±30.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Beacon Falls and Sturbridge 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%	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 24% above U.S.	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.
Work from home	20.3%±7.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Beacon Falls and Sturbridge 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	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Regional School District 16	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Woodland Regional High School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	7.7Lowest
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.