What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bakersfield has the most affordable homes ($271k median).

Lancaster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Bakersfield	Lancaster
People
Population	1,109Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±8Highest 19% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Bakersfield and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.6%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.2%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bakersfield and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±4.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bakersfield and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,462±$18kLowest 3% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,300±$19kLowest 18% below U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,200±$327Lowest 15% below U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,823Lowest 23% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	18.8%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Bakersfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	14.2%±7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Northern Mountain Valley Unified Union School District #85	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.