What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

New Bedford has the most renters (59.7% rent).

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	New Bedford
People
Population	9,452Lowest	100,998Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Highest 11% above MA	37±0.8Lowest 8% below MA
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.9%±1.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	New Bedford and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.8%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Sutton and New Bedford 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%	17%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	New Bedford 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	$56,981±$3kLowest 45% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kHighest 7% below MA	$357,300±$6kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Highest 32% below MA	$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA
	Sutton and New Bedford 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	$4,338Lowest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.6%±3.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	New Bedford 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%	20.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest about the MA average	25 minLowest 15% below MA
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%	5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 282 in MA	#263 of 282 in MA
School district	Sutton	New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Sutton High School	New Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Lowest	13.5Highest
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.