What stands out worked out from the figures below

Valley Falls has the most affordable homes ($375k median).

Sutton has the most people working from home (22.7%).

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	Valley Falls	Sutton
People
Population	12,657Highest	9,452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±3.5Lowest 7% above U.S.	44.3±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Sutton and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%	19.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Valley Falls and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.6%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.8%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sutton and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.3%±0.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Sutton and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,901±$17kLowest 15% above U.S.	$147,125±$25kHighest 82% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$375,200±$19kLowest 13% above U.S.	$523,100±$47kHighest 57% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,362±$142Highest 4% below U.S.	$1,190±$401Lowest 16% below U.S.
	Valley Falls and Sutton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,397Lowest 41% above U.S.	$6,763Highest 117% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.4%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.5%±24.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Sutton and Valley Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 12% below U.S.	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.7%±4.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#105 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Sutton
High school in town	—	Sutton High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.6
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.