What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northfield has the highest household income ($93k).

Cambridge has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.9%).

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	Cambridge
People
Population	4,971Highest	3,767Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.6±5.1Highest 10% above U.S.	37.4±1.8Lowest 4% below U.S.
	Northfield and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.3%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	23%±4.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Cambridge and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northfield and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Northfield and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,917±$15kHighest 15% above U.S.	$72,344±$19kLowest 10% below U.S.
	Northfield and Cambridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$288,500±$33kLowest 13% below U.S.	$343,000±$38kHighest 3% above U.S.
	Cambridge and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,076±$182Lowest 24% below U.S.	$1,183±$66Highest 16% below U.S.
	Cambridge and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,097Highest 63% above U.S.	$4,910Lowest 57% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.1%±14.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.6%±7.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	32 minHighest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9.9%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Cambridge 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	#109 of 120 in NH	#25 of 70 in VT
School district	Winnisquam Regional School District	Cambridge School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.