What stands out worked out from the figures below

Buckland has the most affordable homes ($321k median).

Sturbridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.5%).

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	Buckland	Sturbridge
People
Population	2,036Lowest	9,960Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.5±5.4Highest 24% above MA	47.2±2.6Lowest 18% above MA
	Buckland and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.7%±3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Sturbridge and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	19.8%±3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Buckland and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	49.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Sturbridge and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,877±$6kLowest 20% below MA	$136,759±$15kHighest 32% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$321,400±$25kLowest 43% below MA	$425,800±$18kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,111±$213Lowest 37% below MA	$1,193±$398Highest 32% below MA
	Sturbridge and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,761Lowest 21% below MA	$6,520Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58%±20.9Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±17.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Buckland and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	38 minHighest 30% above MA
Work from home	14.1%±5.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±4.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Sturbridge and Buckland 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	—	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Mohawk Trail	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Mohawk Trail Regional School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Highest	7.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.