What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bristol has the most renters (33.9% rent).

Suffield has the most people working from home (18.4%).

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	Bristol	Suffield
People
Population	22,220Highest	15,702Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43±2.2Lowest 11% above U.S.	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.
	Suffield and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.9%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.2%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Suffield and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	40.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	18.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,764±$8kLowest 21% above U.S.	$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$485,000±$25kHighest 46% above U.S.	$407,500±$26kLowest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,579±$118Highest 12% above U.S.	$1,424±$141Lowest about the U.S. average
	Bristol and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,393Lowest 73% above U.S.	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.9%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	6.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	66.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 38 in RI	#57 of 149 in CT
School district	Bristol Warren	Suffield School District
High school in town	Mt. Hope High School	Suffield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	10.9Lowest
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.