What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Springfield has the most kids (24.2% under 18).

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	Springfield
People
Population	15,702Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.9% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±1.7Highest 14% above U.S.	33.7±0.5Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	16.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 22%	24.2%±0.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.4%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	13.2%±0.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	20.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.5%±0.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,472±$13kHighest 48% above U.S.	$52,656±$2kLowest 35% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$407,500±$26kHighest 22% above U.S.	$245,000±$4kLowest 26% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,424±$141Highest about the U.S. average	$1,144±$55Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,456Highest 107% above U.S.	$3,695Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.7%±3.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Springfield 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%	25.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	49.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 3% below U.S.	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.
Work from home	18.4%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	8.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#57 of 149 in CT	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Suffield School District	Springfield
High school in town	Suffield High School	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	12.2Highest
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.