What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burrillville has the most affordable homes ($384k 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	Burrillville	Sturbridge
People
Population	16,427Highest	9,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.1±4.6Lowest 16% above U.S.	47.2±2.6Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sturbridge and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sturbridge and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.3%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.8%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Burrillville and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Burrillville and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,813±$16kLowest 48% above U.S.	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.
	Sturbridge and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$384,400±$18kLowest 16% above U.S.	$425,800±$18kHighest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,206±$251Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,193±$398Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Burrillville and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,667Lowest 50% above U.S.	$6,520Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.1%±14.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sturbridge and Burrillville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 33% above U.S.	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.
Work from home	11.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#30 of 38 in RI	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Burrillville	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Burrillville High School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	7.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.