What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stafford has the most affordable homes ($264k 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	Stafford
People
Population	16,458Highest	11,511Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.
	Stafford and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stafford 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%	22%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Northbridge and Stafford 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 38% above U.S.	$93,235±$16kLowest 15% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Stafford 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.	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Stafford 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.	$5,131Highest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge and Stafford 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%	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northbridge and Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Northbridge	Stafford School District
High school in town	Northbridge High	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	9.8Lowest
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.