What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most people working from home (8.5%).

Northfield has the oldest population (median age 62.1).

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	Cornish	Northfield
People
Population	1,803Highest	263Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.5% ME: +2.6%	—
Median age	39±8.5Lowest 13% below ME	62.1±16.2Highest 39% above ME
	Northfield and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1%	11.4%±7.8Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Cornish and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	39.2%±9.2Highest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21%Lowest ME: 36.2%	40.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.4Highest ME: 5.8%	1.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Cornish and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME	$68,333±$52kLowest 9% below ME
	Cornish and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$274,200±$84kHighest 8% below ME	$198,600±$64kLowest 33% below ME
	Cornish and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,196±$148 5% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,309Highest 24% below ME	$1,773Lowest 42% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	20.5%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%	88.9%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 1 yr older than ME	1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 27% above ME	24 minLowest about the ME average
Work from home	8.5%±2.4Highest ME: 15.9%	3.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 15.9%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.