What stands out worked out from the figures below

Litchfield has the highest household income ($162k).

Worcester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.1%).

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	Litchfield	Worcester
People
Population	8,499Lowest	207,055Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+14.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±1.7Highest 11% above U.S.	33.9±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	22.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Litchfield and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13.3%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Litchfield and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	35.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	14.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$162,036±$11kHighest 101% above U.S.	$70,102±$2kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$485,000±$18kHighest 46% above U.S.	$374,400±$7kLowest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,138±$406Highest 51% above U.S.	$1,487±$38Lowest 5% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,273Highest 165% above U.S.	$4,733Lowest 52% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	81.5%±38.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	54.2%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Litchfield and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	19.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	42.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.	1951Lowest 29 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.
Work from home	21%±5.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.5%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#53 of 120 in NH	#266 of 282 in MA
School district	Litchfield School District	Ma Academy for Math and Science · Worcester
High school in town	Campbell High School	South High Community
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	14.6Highest
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.