What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medfield has the most expensive homes ($911k median).

Sturbridge has the most affordable homes ($426k 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	Medfield	Sturbridge
People
Population	13,068Highest	9,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±3Lowest 6% above MA	47.2±2.6Highest 18% above MA
	Sturbridge and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.2%±4Highest MA: 19.4%	20.7%±3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	15.4%±2.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.8%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Sturbridge and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	78.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	49.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Sturbridge and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$235,800±$32kHighest 127% above MA	$136,759±$15kLowest 32% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$911,100±$32kHighest 62% above MA	$425,800±$18kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,035±$559Highest 15% above MA	$1,193±$398Lowest 32% below MA
	Medfield and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$6,520Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.1%±20.9Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±17.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Medfield and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest MA: 10%	3.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 6 yrs newer than MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 9% above MA	38 minHighest 30% above MA
Work from home	36.6%±4.8Highest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 282 in MA	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Medfield	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Medfield Senior High	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	7.7Lowest
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.