What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rochester has the most expensive homes ($599k 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	Rochester
People
Population	15,702Highest	5,837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+9.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Lowest 14% above U.S.	46.5±6Highest 20% above U.S.
	Rochester and Suffield 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%	20.1%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Rochester 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%	20.1%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rochester 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	43.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Suffield and Rochester 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.	$120,273±$12kHighest 49% above U.S.
	Rochester and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kLowest 22% above U.S.	$599,100±$31kHighest 80% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,432±$743Highest about the U.S. average
	Rochester and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Lowest 107% above U.S.	$6,530Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.1%±10.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Suffield and Rochester 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%	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	88.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 3% below U.S.	37 minHighest 38% above U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.3%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#104 of 282 in MA
School district	Suffield School District	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester
High school in town	Suffield High School	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Highest	9.1Lowest
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.