What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has the most expensive homes ($449k median).

East Hampton has the most affordable homes ($349k 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	East Hampton
People
Population	16,458Highest	12,925Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 13% above U.S.	43.6±3.7Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Northbridge and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.4%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	East Hampton and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	East Hampton and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	39%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	East Hampton and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kLowest 38% above U.S.	$124,577±$11kHighest 54% above U.S.
	East Hampton and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.	$349,000±$14kLowest 5% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,393±$150Highest about the U.S. average
	East Hampton and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.	$6,681Highest 114% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.7%±16.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge and East Hampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northbridge and East Hampton 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	#75 of 149 in CT
School district	Northbridge	East Hampton School District
High school in town	Northbridge High	East Hampton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	11.3Highest
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.