What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k median).

Enfield has the most homeowners (75.7%).

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	Boston	Enfield
People
Population	666,442Highest	41,090Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 14% below U.S.	40.7±1.9Highest 5% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.9%±1.7Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18%±1.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	31.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 21% above U.S.	$90,404±$5kLowest 12% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 120% above U.S.	$252,900±$7kLowest 24% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 52% above U.S.	$1,574±$83Lowest 11% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 43% above U.S.	$5,360Highest 72% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.7%±6.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Boston and Enfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 33 yrs older than U.S.	1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.5%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#123 of 149 in CT
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Capitol Region Education Council · Enfield School District
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Enfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	13.5Lowest
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.