What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pittsfield has the most affordable homes ($257k median).

Suffield has the most people working from home (18.4%).

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	Pittsfield	Suffield
People
Population	43,457Highest	15,702Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	42.4±2Lowest 9% above U.S.	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.
	Suffield and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Pittsfield and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pittsfield and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pittsfield and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,582±$5kLowest 13% below U.S.	$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,900±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,134±$61Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,424±$141Highest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,148Lowest 33% above U.S.	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±5.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pittsfield and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.
Work from home	10.2%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#251 of 282 in MA	#57 of 149 in CT
School district	Pittsfield	Suffield School District
High school in town	Taconic High	Suffield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	10.9Highest
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.