What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the shortest commute (30 min average).

Amherst has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Sutton	Amherst
People
Population	9,452Lowest	11,861Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Lowest 14% above U.S.	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.
	Amherst and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Amherst and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20.2%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Amherst and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	65.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$147,125±$25kLowest 82% above U.S.	$153,196±$10kHighest 90% above U.S.
	Amherst and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kLowest 57% above U.S.	$537,600±$30kHighest 62% above U.S.
	Amherst and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Lowest 16% below U.S.	$1,462±$256Highest 3% above U.S.
	Amherst and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,763Lowest 117% above U.S.	$9,773Highest 213% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sutton and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1978Lowest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±5.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 282 in MA	#20 of 120 in NH
School district	Sutton	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District
High school in town	Sutton High School	Souhegan Coop High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	10.4Lowest
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.