What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most affordable homes ($268k median).

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	Cheshire	Suffield
People
Population	3,216Lowest	15,702Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	53.7±4.5Highest 38% above U.S.	44.5±1.7Lowest 14% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.2%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Suffield and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Cheshire and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,803±$14kLowest 14% below U.S.	$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,200±$48kLowest 19% below U.S.	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,424±$141 about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.2%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Lowest 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	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#274 of 282 in MA	#57 of 149 in CT
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	Suffield School District
High school in town	Hoosac Valley High School	Suffield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5Lowest	10.9Highest
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.