What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the highest household income ($147k).

Northampton has the most renters (42.7% 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	Northampton
People
Population	9,452Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Highest 11% above MA	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA
	Sutton and Northampton 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%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Sutton and Northampton 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%	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton 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 MA: 47.3%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$147,125±$25kHighest 42% above MA	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kHighest 7% below MA	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Lowest 32% below MA	$1,439±$75Highest 18% below MA
	Northampton 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	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton 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%	13.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest about the MA average	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Northampton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#105 of 282 in MA	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Sutton	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Sutton High School	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Lowest	14.7Highest
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.