What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the most people working from home (22.7%).

Belchertown has the most affordable homes ($371k 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	Sutton	Belchertown
People
Population	9,452Lowest	15,393Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Highest 11% above MA	43.9±1.6Lowest 10% above MA
	Sutton and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%	19.5%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Sutton and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±3.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	21%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Belchertown 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%Highest MA: 47.3%	47.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Belchertown and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$147,125±$25kHighest 42% above MA	$108,068±$15kLowest 4% above MA
	Sutton and Belchertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kHighest 7% below MA	$371,300±$12kLowest 34% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Lowest 32% below MA	$1,292±$230Highest 27% below MA
	Belchertown and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,763Highest 13% above MA	$5,810Lowest 3% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.4%±21.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Belchertown and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Lowest MA: 10%	8.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	87.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 17 yrs newer than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest about the MA average	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%	14%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 282 in MA	#168 of 282 in MA
School district	Sutton	Belchertown
High school in town	Sutton High School	Belchertown High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	11.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.