What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Spencer has the most renters (37% 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	Spencer
People
Population	9,452Lowest	12,008Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±2.5Lowest 11% above MA	48.9±6.8Highest 22% above MA
	Spencer and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%	16.4%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Sutton and Spencer 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%	26%±4.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Spencer 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%	29.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.2%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Spencer 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	$80,533±$11kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$523,100±$47kHighest 7% below MA	$382,000±$22kLowest 32% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,190±$401Highest 32% below MA	$1,078±$161Lowest 39% below MA
	Sutton and Spencer 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	$4,387Lowest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.5%±24.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.6%±10.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Spencer 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%	11%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	63%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest about the MA average	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	22.7%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%	15%±7.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Sutton and Spencer 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	#261 of 282 in MA
School district	Sutton	Spencer-E Brookfield
High school in town	Sutton High School	David Prouty High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	9.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.