What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boylston has the most expensive homes ($579k median).

Sutton has the most affordable homes ($363k 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	Boylston	Sutton
People
Population	4,948Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.2±2.3Highest 24% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Boylston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Boylston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,962±$28kHighest 75% above U.S.	$130,313±$31kLowest 61% above U.S.
	Boylston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$578,600±$47kHighest 74% above U.S.	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,032±$350Highest 44% above U.S.	$1,656±$614Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Boylston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,266Lowest 133% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±16.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Boylston and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Boylston and Sutton 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	#72 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Berlin-Boylston	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Tahanto Regional High	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	10.4Lowest
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.