What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the most expensive homes ($1265k median).

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Newton	Sutton
People
Population	89,044Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±0.9Lowest 8% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1 U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8 U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.1%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.1%±0.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$190,304±$9kHighest 136% above U.S.	$130,313±$31kLowest 61% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,264,900±$43kHighest 280% above U.S.	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,370±$81Highest 68% above U.S.	$1,656±$614Lowest 17% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$7,652Lowest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±4.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Newton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 38 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	32.2%±2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#25 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Newton	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Newton North High	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	10.4Lowest
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.