What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

West Bridgewater has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.4%).

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	West Bridgewater
People
Population	16,458Highest	7,708Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA	38.4±4.4Lowest 4% below MA
	Northbridge and West Bridgewater 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%	18.7%±3.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northbridge and West Bridgewater 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%	19.3%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	West Bridgewater 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%	43.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3 MA: 7.9%	4.3%±1.6 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kLowest 7% above MA	$123,406±$23kHighest 19% above MA
	West Bridgewater 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	$503,800±$47kHighest 10% below MA
	West Bridgewater and Northbridge 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	$1,921±$320Highest 9% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Lowest 20% below MA	$6,471Highest 8% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.5%±22.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	West Bridgewater and Northbridge 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%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	26 minLowest 10% below MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	11.6%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Northbridge and West Bridgewater 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	#186 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	West Bridgewater
High school in town	Northbridge High	West Bridgewater Junior/Senior
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	12.2Highest
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.