What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sharon has the most people working from home (31.5%).

Northbridge has the most affordable homes ($449k 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	Sharon	Northbridge
People
Population	18,574Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.5±1Lowest 6% above MA	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA
	Northbridge and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.2%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%	21.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	17.6%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Sharon and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	76.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	36.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.2Highest MA: 7.9%	4.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Sharon and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$191,835±$19kHighest 85% above MA	$111,319±$19kLowest 7% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$737,100±$33kHighest 31% above MA	$448,600±$15kLowest 20% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,310±$345Highest 31% above MA	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$4,821Lowest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49%±16.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±9.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northbridge and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%	7.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 6 yrs newer than MA	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 33% above MA	31 minLowest 7% above MA
Work from home	31.5%±4.3Highest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#23 of 282 in MA	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Sharon	Northbridge
High school in town	Sharon High	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	10.8Lowest
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.