What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Baldwin has the most people working from home (8.8%).

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	Baldwin
People
Population	263Lowest	1,170Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.3% ME: +2.6%
Median age	62.1±16.2Highest 39% above ME	50.6±4.6Lowest 13% above ME
	Northfield and Baldwin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±7.8Lowest ME: 18.1%	12.1%±3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Baldwin and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	39.2%±9.2Highest ME: 22.4%	27.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Northfield and Baldwin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	23.7%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.3%±2.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Baldwin and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$68,333±$52kHighest 9% below ME	$68,045±$8kLowest 9% below ME
	Northfield and Baldwin are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$198,600±$64kLowest 33% below ME	$263,200±$38kHighest 11% below ME
	Baldwin and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,773Lowest 42% below ME	$2,540Highest 16% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	16.7%±42.9 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	20.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.9%Lowest ME: 74.3%	89%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME	1979Highest 2 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the ME average	32 minHighest 32% above ME
Work from home	3.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	8.8%±4.8Highest ME: 15.9%
	Baldwin and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.