What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.3%).

Chicopee has the most affordable homes ($275k 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	Auburn	Chicopee
People
Population	16,970Lowest	55,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+0.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Highest 12% above MA	41.9±1.4Lowest 5% above MA
	Auburn and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	19.2%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Auburn and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	19.5%±1.4Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Auburn and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	22.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Auburn and Chicopee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,711±$10kHighest 12% above MA	$62,615±$6kLowest 40% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kHighest 29% below MA	$274,500±$8kLowest 51% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Highest 17% below MA	$1,157±$50Lowest 34% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Highest 12% below MA	$3,847Lowest 36% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	52%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Chicopee and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	17.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1958Lowest 6 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 12% below MA	21 minLowest 27% below MA
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%	8%±1.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 282 in MA	#247 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	Chicopee
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	Chicopee Comprehensive High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.2Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.