What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Reading has the most people working from home (30.2%).

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	Reading
People
Population	16,458Lowest	25,612Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Northbridge and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Reading 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 MA: 17.9%	20.7%±2.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Reading 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 MA: 47.3%	66.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northbridge and Reading 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 7% above MA	$165,912±$13kHighest 60% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kLowest 20% below MA	$809,000±$22kHighest 44% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA	$1,991±$273Highest 13% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Lowest 20% below MA	$9,320Highest 56% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest MA: 51.8%	27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest MA: 10%	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	31 minLowest 6% above MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#226 of 282 in MA	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	Reading
High school in town	Northbridge High	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	12.1Highest
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.