What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deerfield has the shortest commute (18 min average).

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	Deerfield	Sutton
People
Population	5,158Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	51.8±3.6Highest 33% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Deerfield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Deerfield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.9%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Deerfield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,136±$14kLowest 31% above U.S.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
	Sutton and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$414,900±$37kHighest 25% above U.S.	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
	Deerfield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,334±$318Lowest 6% below U.S.	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,824Lowest 87% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sutton and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 33% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	17.5%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Deerfield and Sutton 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	#156 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Deerfield · Frontier	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Frontier Regional	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	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.