What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stow has the most people working from home (36.6%).

Sturbridge has the most affordable homes ($426k 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	Sturbridge
People
Population	7,165Lowest	9,960Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±4.4Lowest 10% above MA	47.2±2.6Highest 18% above MA
	Sturbridge 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%	20.7%±3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Stow and Sturbridge 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%	19.8%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Sturbridge 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%	49.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Sturbridge 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	$136,759±$15kLowest 32% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$729,600±$39kHighest 30% above MA	$425,800±$18kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,782±$126Highest about the MA average	$1,193±$398Lowest 32% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$6,520Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.7%±44.2Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±17.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Stow and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 10 yrs newer than MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minLowest 23% above MA	38 minHighest 30% above MA
Work from home	36.6%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#44 of 282 in MA	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Nashoba	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	None in town	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	7.7
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.