What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ayer has the most affordable homes ($445k median).

Stow has the highest household income ($186k).

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	Ayer	Stow
People
Population	3,098Lowest	7,165Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±6.9Lowest 5% above MA	44.1±4.4Highest 10% above MA
	Stow and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±5.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.3%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Stow and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.3%±5.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.1%±3.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Stow and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	75.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Ayer and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$74,878±$17kLowest 28% below MA	$185,809±$22kHighest 79% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$444,600±$43kLowest 21% below MA	$729,600±$39kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,240±$169Lowest 30% below MA	$1,782±$126Highest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,911Lowest 18% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±21.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	59.7%±44.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Stow and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.9%Highest MA: 10%	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	36 minHighest 23% above MA
Work from home	19.8%±6.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.6%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#113 of 282 in MA	#44 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Nashoba
High school in town	—	None in town
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.