What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sheffield has the most homeowners (82.3%).

Deep River has the most people working from home (15.2%).

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	Sheffield	Deep River
People
Population	3,330Lowest	4,458Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	48.2±8Highest 24% above U.S.	46.2±5.6Lowest 19% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.6%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Deep River and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.2%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.1%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,120±$31kHighest 14% above U.S.	$90,253±$19kLowest 12% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$409,400±$32kHighest 23% above U.S.	$362,200±$26kLowest 9% above U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,837±$1kHighest 30% above U.S.	$1,221±$185Lowest 14% below U.S.
	Sheffield and Deep River are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,520Lowest 45% above U.S.	$6,092Highest 95% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±21.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.2%±22.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Deep River and Sheffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	69.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.	24 minHighest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	8.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.2%±5.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Deep River and Sheffield 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	#250 of 282 in MA	#70 of 149 in CT
School district	Southern Berkshire	Deep River School District · Regional School District 04
High school in town	Mt Everett Regional	Valley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8Lowest	9.3Highest
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.