What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.4%).

New Braintree has the most affordable homes ($409k 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	New Braintree
People
Population	9,452Highest	973Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	-0.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Lowest 11% above MA	47.8±4.6Highest 20% above MA
	New Braintree 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 MA: 19.4%	20%±4.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	New Braintree 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 MA: 17.9%	25.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	41.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Sutton and New Braintree 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	$99,500±$8kLowest 4% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kHighest 7% below MA	$408,800±$27kLowest 27% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Lowest 32% below MA	$1,484±$316Highest 16% below MA
	New Braintree 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	$5,508Lowest 8% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±51.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	New Braintree 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%	7.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 17 yrs newer than MA	1987Highest 23 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest about the MA average	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%	7.4%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Sutton	Quabbin
High school in town	Sutton High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6	—
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.