What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Cheshire has the most affordable homes ($268k 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	Cheshire
People
Population	15,702Highest	3,216Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+0.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Lowest 14% above U.S.	53.7±4.5Highest 38% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2Highest U.S.: 22%	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Suffield and Cheshire 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%	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Cheshire 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±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.	$69,803±$14kLowest 14% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.	$268,200±$48kLowest 19% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141 about the U.S. average	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	21.2%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89%Highest 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 minLowest 3% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.4%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#274 of 282 in MA
School district	Suffield School District	Hoosac Valley Regional
High school in town	Suffield High School	Hoosac Valley High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	10.5Lowest
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.