What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

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

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	Rochester
People
Population	154,749Highest	5,837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA	46.5±6Highest 16% above MA
Kids under 18	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±4.6Lowest 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+	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.1%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	43.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA	$120,273±$12kHighest 16% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA	$599,100±$31kHighest 7% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA	$1,432±$743Highest 19% 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	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA	$6,530Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest MA: 10%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 31% below MA	37 minHighest 25% above MA
Work from home	8.4%±0.9Highest MA: 18.6%	8.3%±3.7Lowest 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	#276 of 282 in MA	#104 of 282 in MA
School district	Springfield	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester
High school in town	Springfield Central High	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Highest	9.1Lowest
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.