What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($376k median).

Boylston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.3%).

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	Northfield	Boylston
People
Population	2,872Lowest	4,948Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.9±4.2Highest 22% above MA	48.2±2.3Lowest 21% above MA
	Northfield and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.8%±4.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	18%±3.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Boylston and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.5%±5.1Highest MA: 17.9%	22%±4.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northfield and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.6%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northfield and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,375±$10kLowest about the MA average	$140,962±$28kHighest 36% above MA
	Boylston and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$375,800±$31kLowest 33% below MA	$578,600±$47kHighest about the MA average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,142±$200Lowest 35% below MA	$2,032±$350Highest 15% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,594Lowest 23% below MA	$7,266Highest 21% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.2%±25.9Highest MA: 51.8%	45.1%±16.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northfield and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Highest MA: 10%	6.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	79.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	27 minLowest 8% below MA
Work from home	16.5%±10.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.7%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Boylston and Northfield 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	#231 of 282 in MA	#72 of 282 in MA
School district	Pioneer Valley	Berlin-Boylston
High school in town	Pioneer Valley Regional	Tahanto Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.1Highest
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.