What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($376k median).

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	Douglas	Northfield
People
Population	9,207Highest	2,872Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	-5.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA	48.9±4.2Highest 22% above MA
	Northfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%	14.8%±4.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	25.5%±5.1Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	42.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA	$103,375±$10kLowest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kHighest 16% below MA	$375,800±$31kLowest 33% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA	$1,142±$200Lowest 35% below MA
	Douglas and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Highest 6% above MA	$4,594Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.2%±25.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northfield and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	6.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	31 minLowest 8% above MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	16.5%±10.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Douglas and Northfield 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	#177 of 282 in MA	#231 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Pioneer Valley
High school in town	Douglas High School	Pioneer Valley Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	10.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.