What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoneham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	16,458Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA	42.2±2.2Lowest 6% above MA
	Northbridge and Stoneham 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%	20.8%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northbridge and Stoneham 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%	20.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Stoneham 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%	55.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Stoneham 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 7% above MA	$113,964±$10kHighest 10% above MA
	Stoneham 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±$15kLowest 20% below MA	$671,900±$26kHighest 20% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA	$2,035±$142Highest 15% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Lowest 20% below MA	$6,523Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±8.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northbridge and Stoneham 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%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	71%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	28 minLowest 4% below MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#226 of 282 in MA	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	Stoneham
High school in town	Northbridge High	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	10.7Lowest
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.