What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sutton has the most affordable homes ($363k median).

Natick has the most expensive homes ($821k 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	Natick
People
Population	2,239Lowest	36,873Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+12.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.	43.3±1.4Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Sutton and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.2%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Natick and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	70.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Natick and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$130,313±$31kLowest 61% above U.S.	$138,538±$11kHighest 72% above U.S.
	Natick and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,600±$16kLowest 9% above U.S.	$821,000±$25kHighest 147% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Lowest 17% above U.S.	$2,134±$124Highest 51% above U.S.
	Natick and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Lowest 145% above U.S.	$8,914Highest 186% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.7%±6.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Natick and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	25.1%±1.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#48 of 282 in MA
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Natick
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Natick High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	12.6Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.