What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most affordable homes ($451k median).

Sutton has the most people working from home (22.7%).

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	Bellingham	Sutton
People
Population	17,410Highest	9,452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	44.3±2.5Highest 11% above MA
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	18.8%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Sutton 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	52.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.9%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Sutton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kLowest 21% above MA	$147,125±$25kHighest 42% above MA
	Sutton and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kLowest 20% below MA	$523,100±$47kHighest 7% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Highest 4% above MA	$1,190±$401Lowest 32% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Lowest 16% below MA	$6,763Highest 13% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Highest MA: 51.8%	47.5%±24.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Bellingham and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%	5.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 9 yrs newer than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	30 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.7%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Sutton and Bellingham 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	#232 of 282 in MA	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Sutton
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Lowest	12.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.