What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the most people working from home (16.5%).

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.7%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	2,872Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-5.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.9±4.2Highest 26% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Lowest 24% above U.S.
	Northfield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.8%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton 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 U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northfield and Sutton 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 U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Northfield 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 28% above U.S.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
	Sutton 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±$31kHighest 13% above U.S.	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
	Northfield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,142±$200Lowest 19% below U.S.	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,594Lowest 47% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.2%±25.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northfield and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 18 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 19% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	16.5%±10.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northfield and Sutton 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	—
School district	Pioneer Valley	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Pioneer Valley Regional	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	10.4Lowest
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.