What stands out worked out from the figures below

Berlin has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Sturbridge has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Berlin	Sturbridge
People
Population	20,361Highest	9,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.7±3Highest 25% above U.S.	47.2±2.6Lowest 21% above U.S.
	Berlin and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sturbridge and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.8%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Berlin and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.2%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Berlin and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$113,598±$11kLowest 41% above U.S.	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.
	Sturbridge and Berlin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$374,600±$13kLowest 13% above U.S.	$425,800±$18kHighest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,402±$88Highest about the U.S. average	$1,193±$398Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Berlin and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,291Highest 134% above U.S.	$6,520Lowest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.4%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Berlin and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 20% below U.S.	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.
Work from home	14.4%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sturbridge and Berlin 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	#73 of 149 in CT	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Berlin School District	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Berlin High School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	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.