What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4%).

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Northbridge	Dalton
People
Population	16,458Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Lowest 9% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northbridge and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northbridge and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kHighest 7% above MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kHighest 20% below MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Highest 31% below MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Highest 20% below MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northbridge and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest MA: 10%	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Northbridge and Dalton 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	#226 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Northbridge High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	10.9Highest
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.