What stands out worked out from the figures below

Greenfield has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Northbridge has the highest household income ($111k).

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	Greenfield	Northbridge
People
Population	17,664Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.1Highest 12% above MA	43.8±2.6Lowest 9% above MA
	Greenfield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Northbridge and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	36.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.3%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Northbridge and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA	$111,319±$19kHighest 7% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA	$448,600±$15kHighest 20% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA	$1,207±$102Highest 31% below MA
	Northbridge and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,769Lowest 20% below MA	$4,821Highest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±9.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest MA: 10%	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 40% below MA	31 minHighest 7% above MA
Work from home	11.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Northbridge and Greenfield 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	#257 of 282 in MA	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Greenfield	Northbridge
High school in town	Greenfield High	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	10.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.