What stands out worked out from the figures below

Suffield has the most affordable homes ($408k median).

Chelmsford has the most expensive homes ($594k 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	Suffield	Chelmsford
People
Population	15,702Lowest	36,446Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+7.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.	41.6±1.9Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Suffield and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.1%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Suffield and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chelmsford and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,472±$13kLowest 48% above U.S.	$140,629±$8kHighest 74% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kLowest 22% above U.S.	$593,700±$17kHighest 78% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,062±$151Highest 46% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Lowest 107% above U.S.	$8,047Highest 158% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.7%±10Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chelmsford and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1967Lowest 13 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chelmsford and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#79 of 282 in MA
School district	Suffield School District	Chelmsford
High school in town	Suffield High School	Chelmsford High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	14.0Highest
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.