What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

Northfield has the most affordable homes ($274k 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	Townsend	Northfield
People
Population	9,100Highest	5,920Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-4.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Highest 5% above U.S.	36.4±4.1Lowest 6% below U.S.
	Townsend and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	14.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	20%±3.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northfield and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	15.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.	$71,768±$13kLowest 11% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.	$274,400±$21kLowest 18% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,018±$207Lowest 28% below U.S.
	Townsend and Northfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.	$4,878Lowest 56% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	63.3%±17.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Northfield and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	73.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	27 minLowest 3% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.1%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northfield and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA	#42 of 70 in VT
School district	North Middlesex	Paine Mountain Union School District #68
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Northfield Middle/High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	10.0Lowest
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.