What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dalton has the most renters (29.3% rent).

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Dalton	Sutton
People
Population	6,256Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-6.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.7±5.8Highest 28% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Dalton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dalton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.9%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dalton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3% U.S.: 35.7%	44.3% U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$79,438±$8kLowest about the U.S. average	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$295,700±$26kLowest 11% below U.S.	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$872±$70Lowest 38% below U.S.	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,276Lowest 37% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.2%±19Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dalton and Sutton 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%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 23 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	12.5%±7.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton and Dalton 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	#192 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Central Berkshire	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Wahconah Regional High	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	10.4Lowest
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.