What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.9%).

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($376k 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	Stow	Northfield
People
Population	7,165Highest	2,872Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	-5.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±4.4Lowest 10% above MA	48.9±4.2Highest 22% above MA
	Northfield and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4%	14.8%±4.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Stow and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±3.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	25.5%±5.1Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northfield and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	42.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Northfield and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$185,809±$22kHighest 79% above MA	$103,375±$10kLowest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$729,600±$39kHighest 30% above MA	$375,800±$31kLowest 33% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,782±$126Highest about the MA average	$1,142±$200Lowest 35% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$4,594Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.7%±44.2Highest MA: 51.8%	49.2%±25.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Stow and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	6.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 23% above MA	31 minLowest 8% above MA
Work from home	36.6%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%	16.5%±10.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#44 of 282 in MA	#231 of 282 in MA
School district	Nashoba	Pioneer Valley
High school in town	None in town	Pioneer Valley Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.