What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woodstock has the most homeowners (83.1%).

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	Woodstock	Northbridge
People
Population	8,319Lowest	16,458Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.3±5.9Highest 27% above U.S.	43.8±2.6Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Woodstock and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±2.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Northbridge and Woodstock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.5%±4.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Woodstock and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Northbridge and Woodstock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,011±$21kHighest 39% above U.S.	$111,319±$19kLowest 38% above U.S.
	Woodstock and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$417,200±$22kLowest 25% above U.S.	$448,600±$15kHighest 35% above U.S.
	Northbridge and Woodstock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,202±$94Lowest 15% below U.S.	$1,207±$102Highest 15% below U.S.
	Northbridge and Woodstock are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,357Highest 72% above U.S.	$4,821Lowest 55% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	22.2%±16Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.2%±9.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	70.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	12.5%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	16.2%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northbridge and Woodstock 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	#85 of 149 in CT	#226 of 282 in MA
School district	Woodstock School District · The Woodstock Academy District	Northbridge
High school in town	The Woodstock Academy	Northbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	16.2Highest	10.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.