What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sturbridge has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Sturbridge
People
Population	11,511Highest	9,960Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.7±4.8Lowest 20% above U.S.	47.2±2.6Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sturbridge and Stafford 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%	20.7%±3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Stafford and Sturbridge 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%	19.8%±3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stafford and Sturbridge 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%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sturbridge 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.	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.	$425,800±$18kHighest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.	$1,193±$398Highest 16% below U.S.
	Sturbridge 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.	$6,520Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	42%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sturbridge and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.
Work from home	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#96 of 149 in CT	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Stafford School District	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Stafford High School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Highest	7.7Lowest
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.