What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the oldest population (median age 62.1).

Cornish has the most people working from home (8.5%).

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	Cornish
People
Population	263Lowest	1,803Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.5% ME: +2.6%
Median age	62.1±16.2Highest 39% above ME	39±8.5Lowest 13% below ME
	Northfield and Cornish 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%	18.2%±3.3Highest ME: 18.1%
	Cornish 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%	17.4%±4.9Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	21%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±4.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	2.8%±1.4Highest ME: 5.8%
	Cornish 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±$52kLowest 9% below ME	$69,038±$4kHighest 8% below ME
	Cornish and Northfield 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	$274,200±$84kHighest 8% below ME
	Cornish and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,196±$148 5% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,773Lowest 42% below ME	$2,309Highest 24% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	48.8%±17.5 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	20.5%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.9%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.1%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 2 yrs older than ME	1976Highest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest about the ME average	31 minHighest 27% above ME
Work from home	3.2%±2.6Lowest ME: 15.9%	8.5%±2.4Highest ME: 15.9%
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.