What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k median).

Northbridge has the most people working from home (16.2%).

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	Windham	Northbridge
People
Population	23,961Highest	16,458Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.	43.8±2.6Highest 13% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Northbridge and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northbridge and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.	$111,319±$19kHighest 38% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$69Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S.	$4,821Highest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#143 of 149 in CT	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Northbridge
High school in town	Windham High School	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	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.