What stands out worked out from the figures below

Suffield has the highest household income ($119k).

Ludlow has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Ludlow
People
Population	15,702Lowest	20,904Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.	44.3±1.8Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Suffield and Ludlow 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%	16.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ludlow and Suffield 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%	21.8%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Ludlow and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Ludlow 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.	$84,838±$7kLowest 5% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.	$335,300±$10kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Highest about the U.S. average	$1,223±$82Lowest 13% below U.S.
	Suffield and Ludlow 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.	$4,918Lowest 58% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.7%±9.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Suffield and Ludlow 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%	6.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.5%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.	20 minLowest 24% below U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Suffield and Ludlow 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	#154 of 282 in MA
School district	Suffield School District	Ludlow
High school in town	Suffield High School	Ludlow Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	11.1Highest
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.