What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northbridge has the most expensive 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	Stafford	Northbridge
People
Population	11,511Lowest	16,458Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Stafford and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Stafford and Northbridge 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%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Northbridge and Stafford 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.	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.
	Northbridge 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.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,131Highest 65% above U.S.	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northbridge 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%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northbridge 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	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Stafford School District	Northbridge
High school in town	Stafford High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	10.8Highest
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.