What stands out worked out from the figures below

Coventry has the shortest commute (26 min average).

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	Coventry	Sturbridge
People
Population	35,907Highest	9,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44±1.1Lowest 13% above U.S.	47.2±2.6Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sturbridge and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sturbridge and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.8%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sturbridge and Coventry are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	31.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Coventry and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,946±$8kLowest 28% above U.S.	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$356,200±$11kLowest 7% above U.S.	$425,800±$18kHighest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,206±$155Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,193±$398Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Coventry and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,099Lowest 63% above U.S.	$6,520Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±11.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Coventry and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.
Work from home	11.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#24 of 38 in RI	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Coventry	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Coventry High School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3Highest	7.7Lowest
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.