What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stratford has the most affordable homes ($161k median).

Sutton has the highest household income ($71k).

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	Stratford	Sutton
People
Population	950Highest	790Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-11.3% U.S.: +7.4%	-11.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.8±16.8Highest 28% above U.S.	46.6±5.7Lowest 20% above U.S.
	Stratford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±7.6Highest U.S.: 22%	17.3%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Stratford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.1%±9.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	21.6%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stratford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	16.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	32.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stratford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$49,583±$14kLowest 39% below U.S.	$71,250±$18kHighest 12% below U.S.
	Sutton and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$161,100±$48kLowest 52% below U.S.	$231,100±$41kHighest 31% below U.S.
	Sutton and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$775±$264 45% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,512Lowest 19% below U.S.	$3,975Highest 27% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64%±53.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.8%±31.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stratford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	12.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Lowest 8 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 15% below U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	8.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.6%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sutton and Stratford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Stratford School District	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.