What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sturbridge has the most affordable homes ($426k median).

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Sturbridge	Harvard
People
Population	9,960Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±2.6Highest 18% above MA	44.1±4.7Lowest 10% above MA
	Sturbridge and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±3Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.1%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Harvard and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±3Highest MA: 17.9%	16.3%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Sturbridge and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Sturbridge and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$136,759±$15kLowest 32% above MA	$213,996±$24kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$425,800±$18kLowest 24% below MA	$833,600±$54kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,193±$398Lowest 32% below MA	$1,321±$424Highest 25% below MA
	Harvard and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,520Lowest 9% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42%±17.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	72.5%±51.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harvard and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	4.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 30% above MA	32 minLowest 9% above MA
Work from home	19.8%±4.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	44.8%±6.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 282 in MA	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Sturbridge · Tantasqua	Harvard
High school in town	Tantasqua Regional Sr High	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.7Lowest	11.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.