What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stoughton has the most expensive homes ($524k 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	Stoughton
People
Population	2,239Lowest	29,225Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.1±4.1Highest 24% above U.S.	45.7±1.9Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Sutton and Stoughton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	18.5%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Sutton and Stoughton 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%	20.8%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Stoughton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	41.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.1%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stoughton 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±$31kHighest 61% above U.S.	$104,794±$6kLowest 30% above U.S.
	Sutton and Stoughton 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.	$523,800±$28kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,656±$614Lowest 17% above U.S.	$2,050±$200Highest 45% above U.S.
	Stoughton and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,652Highest 145% above U.S.	$6,215Lowest 99% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.6%±47.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.4%±7.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stoughton 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%	8.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.	33 minHighest 27% above U.S.
Work from home	14.8%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.4%±2.5Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Stoughton 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	—	#196 of 282 in MA
School district	Kearsarge Regional School District	Stoughton
High school in town	Kearsarge Regional High School	Stoughton High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	10.8Highest
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.