What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most people working from home (8.4%).

New Bedford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.3%).

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	Springfield	New Bedford
People
Population	154,749Highest	100,998Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA	37±0.8Highest 8% below MA
Kids under 18	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%	23.9%±1.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Springfield and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±0.9Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	17%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA	$56,981±$3kHighest 45% below MA
	New Bedford and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA	$357,300±$6kHighest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$55Highest 35% below MA	$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA
	Springfield and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA	$4,338Highest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%	52.6%±3.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Springfield and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest MA: 10%	20.6%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Highest 12 yrs older than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 31% below MA	25 minHighest 15% below MA
Work from home	8.4%±0.9Highest MA: 18.6%	5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#276 of 282 in MA	#263 of 282 in MA
School district	Springfield	New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Springfield Central High	New Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.