What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deep River has the most people working from home (15.2%).

Sheffield has the most homeowners (82.3%).

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	Deep River	Sheffield
People
Population	4,458Highest	3,330Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.2±5.6Lowest 19% above U.S.	48.2±8Highest 24% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	13.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Deep River and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.1%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.2%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$90,253±$19kLowest 12% above U.S.	$92,120±$31kHighest 14% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,200±$26kLowest 9% above U.S.	$409,400±$32kHighest 23% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$185Lowest 14% below U.S.	$1,837±$1kHighest 30% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,092Highest 95% above U.S.	$4,520Lowest 45% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±22.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	29.2%±21.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Deep River and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	82.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.
Work from home	15.2%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Deep River and Sheffield 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	#70 of 149 in CT	#250 of 282 in MA
School district	Deep River School District · Regional School District 04	Southern Berkshire
High school in town	Valley Regional High School	Mt Everett Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Highest	7.8Lowest
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.