What stands out worked out from the figures below

Suffield has the most people working from home (18.4%).

Bristol has the most renters (33.9% rent).

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	Suffield	Bristol
People
Population	15,702Lowest	22,220Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.	43±2.2Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Suffield and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	12.9%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Suffield and Bristol are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	47.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	18.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.	$97,764±$8kLowest 21% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kLowest 22% above U.S.	$485,000±$25kHighest 46% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,579±$118Highest 12% above U.S.
	Bristol and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.	$5,393Lowest 73% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	37.9%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	66.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#20 of 38 in RI
School district	Suffield School District	Bristol Warren
High school in town	Suffield High School	Mt. Hope High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	12.5Highest
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.