What stands out worked out from the figures below

Pittsfield has the shortest commute (19 min average).

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	Pittsfield	Sutton
People
Population	43,457Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±2Lowest 9% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.
	Sutton and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Pittsfield 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%	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pittsfield and Sutton 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.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$256,900±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.	$362,600±$16kHighest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,134±$61Lowest 20% below U.S.	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Pittsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,148Lowest 33% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.8%±5.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pittsfield and Sutton 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%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	10.2%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton and Pittsfield 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	#251 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Pittsfield	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Taconic High	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	10.4Highest
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.