What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bloomfield has the most affordable homes ($287k median).

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	Bloomfield	Northbridge
People
Population	21,754Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.4±3.3Highest 24% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Bloomfield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.7%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.3%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bloomfield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,725±$14kLowest 22% above U.S.	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Bloomfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$286,900±$11kLowest 14% below U.S.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,881±$175Highest 33% above U.S.	$1,207±$102Lowest 15% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,795Highest 86% above U.S.	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±11.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bloomfield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 12% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	18.2%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Bloomfield 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	#139 of 149 in CT	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Bloomfield School District · Capitol Region Education Council	Northbridge
High school in town	Academy of International Studies 6-12	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Lowest	10.8Highest
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.