What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most expensive homes ($599k median).

Sutton has the most people working from home (14.8%).

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	Sutton
People
Population	5,837Highest	2,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±6Lowest 20% above U.S.	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.
	Sutton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±3.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$120,273±$12kLowest 49% above U.S.	$130,313±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.
	Sutton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$599,100±$31kHighest 80% above U.S.	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,432±$743Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,656±$614Highest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,530Lowest 109% above U.S.	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±10.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Rochester and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14.8%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton 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	—
School district	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester	Kearsarge Regional School District
High school in town	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical	Kearsarge Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Lowest	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.