What stands out worked out from the figures below

Griswold has the most affordable homes ($276k median).

Northbridge has the most people working from home (16.2%).

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	Griswold	Northbridge
People
Population	11,530Lowest	16,458Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±3.9Highest 24% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Griswold and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Northbridge and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.8%±3.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Griswold and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,719±$11kLowest about the U.S. average	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$275,900±$42kLowest 17% below U.S.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,177±$65Lowest 17% below U.S.	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Griswold are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,628Lowest 48% above U.S.	$4,821Highest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.5%±15.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Griswold and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 min 17% above U.S.	31 min 17% above U.S.
Work from home	9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northbridge and Griswold 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	#118 of 149 in CT	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Griswold School District	Northbridge
High school in town	Griswold High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.5Highest	10.8Lowest
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.