What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Sturbridge	Thomaston
People
Population	9,960Highest	7,492Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.5% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	47.2±2.6Highest 21% above U.S.	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.8%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$425,800±$18kHighest 28% above U.S.	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,193±$398Highest 16% below U.S.	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,520Highest 109% above U.S.	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	19.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#89 of 282 in MA	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	Sturbridge · Tantasqua	Thomaston School District
High school in town	Tantasqua Regional Sr High	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.7Lowest	10.7Highest
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.