What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashby has the most affordable homes ($391k median).

Atkinson has the most expensive homes ($555k 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	Ashby	Atkinson
People
Population	3,211Lowest	7,267Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.5±3Lowest 30% above U.S.	57.1±2.8Highest 47% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17%±3.5Highest U.S.: 22%	14.1%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Ashby and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.5%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.4%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Atkinson and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	42.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.8%±4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Atkinson and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$115,598±$9kLowest 43% above U.S.	$146,380±$32kHighest 81% above U.S.
	Atkinson and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$390,500±$30kLowest 17% above U.S.	$555,200±$65kHighest 67% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,200±$484Highest 15% below U.S.	$1,140±$32Lowest 19% below U.S.
	Ashby and Atkinson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,034Lowest 93% above U.S.	$6,918Highest 122% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±53.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	66.5%±39.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Atkinson and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	92.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	28 minLowest 7% above U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.1%±6.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Atkinson and Ashby 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	#200 of 282 in MA	#32 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Timberlane Regional School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.