What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pittsfield has the most affordable homes ($257k 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	Pittsfield
People
Population	15,702Lowest	43,457Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-1.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.	42.4±2Lowest 9% above U.S.
	Suffield and Pittsfield 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%	17.6%±1.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Pittsfield 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%	19.4%±1.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Pittsfield 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%	34.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.2%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Pittsfield 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.	$70,582±$5kLowest 13% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.	$256,900±$8kLowest 23% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Highest about the U.S. average	$1,134±$61Lowest 20% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.	$4,148Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.8%±5.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Pittsfield 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%	14.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	62.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1950Lowest 30 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.	19 minLowest 30% below U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.2%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#251 of 282 in MA
School district	Suffield School District	Pittsfield
High school in town	Suffield High School	Taconic High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.3Lowest
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.