What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stafford has the most affordable homes ($264k median).

Blackstone has the most people working from home (17.4%).

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	Stafford	Blackstone
People
Population	11,511Highest	9,255Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.	43.2±1.7Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Stafford and Blackstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Blackstone and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.5%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stafford and Blackstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	31.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stafford and Blackstone are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,235±$16kLowest 15% above U.S.	$94,191±$21kHighest 17% above U.S.
	Blackstone and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.	$404,400±$34kHighest 22% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,189±$85Highest 16% below U.S.
	Blackstone and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Lowest 65% above U.S.	$5,703Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	65%±18.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Blackstone and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.
Work from home	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.4%±4.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Blackstone and Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT	#207 of 282 in MA
School district	Stafford School District	Blackstone-Millville
High school in town	Stafford High School	Blackstone Millville RHS
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	13.6Highest
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.