What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has the highest household income ($111k).

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Springfield
People
Population	16,458Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Springfield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Highest MA: 17.9%	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.5%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kHighest 7% above MA	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kHighest 20% below MA	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Highest 31% below MA	$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA
	Northbridge and Springfield 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	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Springfield and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%	25.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	20 minLowest 31% below MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#226 of 282 in MA	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	Springfield
High school in town	Northbridge High	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	12.2Highest
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.