What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lee has the most people working from home (27.6%).

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	Lee
People
Population	3,211Lowest	4,576Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.5±3Highest 30% above U.S.	42.9±1.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
Kids under 18	17%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.9%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lee and Ashby 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%	22.6%±6.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lee 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%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lee 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.	$131,579±$54kHighest 63% above U.S.
	Lee 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.	$480,600±$61kHighest 44% above U.S.
	Lee and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,200±$484 15% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,034Lowest 93% above U.S.	$9,661Highest 210% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	36.4%±53.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	38.3%±53.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lee and Ashby are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6% U.S.: 12.5%	2.6% U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Lowest 10 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	17.8%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.6%±8.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lee 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	#3 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	10 photos →

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.