What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k median).

Sturbridge has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Thomaston	Sturbridge
People
Population	7,492Lowest	9,960Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+6.5% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	47.2±2.6Highest 21% above U.S.
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.7%±3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.8%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.	$136,759±$15kHighest 69% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.	$425,800±$18kHighest 28% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.	$1,193±$398Highest 16% below U.S.
	Sturbridge and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.	$6,520Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%	42%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Sturbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	38 minHighest 43% above U.S.
Work from home	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.8%±4.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 149 in CT	#89 of 282 in MA
School district	Thomaston School District	Sturbridge · Tantasqua
High school in town	Thomaston High School	Tantasqua Regional Sr High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Highest	7.7Lowest
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.