What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.3%).

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

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	Rochester	Springfield
People
Population	5,837Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±6Highest 16% above MA	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA
Kids under 18	20.1%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Springfield and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.5%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$120,273±$12kHighest 16% above MA	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$599,100±$31kHighest 7% above MA	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,432±$743Highest 19% below MA	$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA
	Rochester and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,530Highest 9% above MA	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%	25.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 25% above MA	20 minLowest 31% below MA
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	8.4%±0.9Highest MA: 18.6%
	Springfield and Rochester 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	#104 of 282 in MA	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester	Springfield
High school in town	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Lowest	12.2Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.