What stands out worked out from the figures below

Suffield has the shortest commute (26 min average).

Shirley has the most people working from home (21%).

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	Shirley
People
Population	15,702Highest	6,976Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+3.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.	44.3±3.4Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Suffield and Shirley 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%±4.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Shirley 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%	19.8%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Shirley 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%	36.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Shirley 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.	$122,365±$16kHighest 52% above U.S.
	Shirley 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.	$427,600±$36kHighest 29% above U.S.
	Shirley and Suffield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,481±$421Highest 5% above U.S.
	Shirley and Suffield 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.	$5,156Lowest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±21.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Shirley 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%	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.4%Lowest 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.	40 minHighest 53% above U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21%±7.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Shirley 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	#239 of 282 in MA
School district	Suffield School District	Ayer Shirley School District
High school in town	Suffield High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9	—
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.