What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Woodstock has the most homeowners (83.1%).

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	Woodstock
People
Population	16,458Highest	8,319Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.	49.3±5.9Highest 27% above U.S.
	Woodstock 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 U.S.: 22%	19%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Northbridge and Woodstock 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%	22.5%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Woodstock 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 U.S.: 35.7%	47.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Northbridge and Woodstock 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 38% above U.S.	$112,011±$21kHighest 39% above U.S.
	Woodstock 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±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.	$417,200±$22kLowest 25% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Woodstock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,202±$94Lowest 15% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Woodstock 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.	$5,357Highest 72% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	22.2%±16Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	12.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northbridge and Woodstock 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	#85 of 149 in CT
School district	Northbridge	Woodstock School District · The Woodstock Academy District
High school in town	Northbridge High	The Woodstock Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	16.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.