What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has the most people working from home (16.2%).

Sheffield has the shortest commute (21 min average).

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	Sheffield
People
Population	16,458Highest	3,330Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Lowest 9% above MA	48.2±8Highest 21% above MA
	Sheffield 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%	13.3%±4Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.2%±5.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Sheffield 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%	37.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.2%±4.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northbridge and Sheffield 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	$92,120±$31kLowest 11% below MA
	Northbridge and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kHighest 20% below MA	$409,400±$32kLowest 27% below MA
	Northbridge and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA	$1,837±$1kHighest 4% above MA
	Sheffield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Highest 20% below MA	$4,520Lowest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest MA: 51.8%	29.2%±21.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northbridge and Sheffield 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%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 9 yrs newer than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	21 minLowest 29% below MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	8.5%±5.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Northbridge and Sheffield 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	#250 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	Southern Berkshire
High school in town	Northbridge High	Mt Everett Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	7.8Lowest
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.