What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ashland has grown the fastest since 2010 (+13.5%).

Uxbridge has the most affordable homes ($441k 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	Ashland	Uxbridge
People
Population	18,873Highest	14,473Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+13.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±1.4Highest 5% above MA	41.7±2.8Lowest 4% above MA
	Ashland and Uxbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.4%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.5%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Uxbridge and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	17.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Ashland and Uxbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	38%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.4%±1.2Highest MA: 7.9%	4.2%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Ashland and Uxbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$127,539±$11kHighest 23% above MA	$124,725±$7kLowest 20% above MA
	Ashland and Uxbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$611,700±$18kHighest 9% above MA	$441,100±$25kLowest 22% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,452±$298Highest 39% above MA	$1,555±$265Lowest 12% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,444Highest 24% above MA	$5,836Lowest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.2%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%	25.6%±5.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	3.5%Lowest MA: 10%	3.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	79.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA	1976Lowest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 26% above MA	37 minLowest 26% above MA
Work from home	22.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%	15.9%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Ashland and Uxbridge 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	#42 of 282 in MA	#183 of 282 in MA
School district	Ashland	Uxbridge
High school in town	Ashland High	Uxbridge High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	11.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.