What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thompson has the most affordable homes ($292k median).

Deerfield has the shortest commute (18 min average).

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	Thompson	Deerfield
People
Population	9,337Highest	5,158Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-0.7% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.1±2.2Highest 39% above U.S.	51.8±3.6Lowest 33% above U.S.
	Thompson and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	11.4%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	13.2%±3.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Deerfield and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.4%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thompson and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	44.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	7.9%±3.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,629±$18kLowest 16% above U.S.	$106,136±$14kHighest 31% above U.S.
	Deerfield and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$291,900±$24kLowest 12% below U.S.	$414,900±$37kHighest 25% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,012±$344Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,334±$318Highest 6% below U.S.
	Deerfield and Thompson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,822Lowest 23% above U.S.	$5,824Highest 87% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±18.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	26.1%±15.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thompson and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1972Highest 8 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	18 minLowest 33% below U.S.
Work from home	13.1%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.5%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Deerfield and Thompson 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	#130 of 149 in CT	#156 of 282 in MA
School district	Thompson School District	Deerfield · Frontier
High school in town	Tourtellotte Memorial High School	Frontier Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	7.9Lowest	11.1Highest
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.