Compare towns
Bellingham vs Springfield vs Bridgewater Town
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Bellingham has the most people working from home (18.3%).
Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k median).
Bridgewater Town has the most expensive homes ($533k 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.
| Measure | Bellingham | Springfield | Bridgewater Town |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 17,410Lowest |
154,749Highest |
28,471 |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +3.8%Highest MA: +7.4% |
+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
— |
| Median age | 38.2±1.5Highest 4% below MA |
33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA |
37.6±1.6 6% below MA |
| Bellingham and Bridgewater Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 22.1%±3.4 MA: 19.4% |
24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4% |
17.6%±2Lowest MA: 19.4% |
| Springfield and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 14.9%±2.2 MA: 17.9% |
13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9% |
17.3%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9% |
| Bridgewater Town and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 40.1%Highest MA: 47.3% |
20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
39.5% MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9% |
7.5%±0.5 MA: 7.9% |
16.2%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9% |
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $125,307±$10kHighest 21% above MA |
$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA |
$112,651±$7k 8% above MA |
| Bellingham and Bridgewater Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $450,700±$13k 20% below MA |
$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA |
$533,100±$23kHighest 5% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $1,836±$196 4% above MA |
$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA |
$2,092±$177Highest 19% above MA |
| Bridgewater Town and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,030 16% below MA |
$3,695Lowest 38% below MA |
$6,499Highest 8% above MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 62.8%±16.6Highest MA: 51.8% |
57.7%±3.1 MA: 51.8% |
54.2%±13.2Lowest MA: 51.8% |
| Bellingham and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.7% MA: 10% |
25.8%Highest MA: 10% |
4.8%Lowest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 78.9%Highest MA: 62.5% |
49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
75.6% MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1973 9 yrs newer than MA |
1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA |
1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 36 minHighest 24% above MA |
20 minLowest 31% below MA |
31 min 8% above MA |
| Work from home | 18.3%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6% |
8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6% |
12.7%±2.7 MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | #232 of 282 in MA | #276 of 282 in MA | #121 of 282 in MA |
| School district | Bellingham | Springfield | Bridgewater-Raynham |
| High school in town | Bellingham High School | Springfield Central High | Bridgewater-Raynham Regional |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.4 |
12.2Lowest |
18.1Highest |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | None yet | None yet |
MA 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.