What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bellingham has the most people working from home (18.3%).

Westminster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.9%).

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	Bellingham	Westminster
People
Population	17,410Highest	8,374Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.2±1.5Lowest 4% below MA	48.3±4.6Highest 21% above MA
Kids under 18	22.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	21.3%±4.4Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bellingham and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	26%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	45.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Bellingham and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,307±$10kHighest 21% above MA	$106,331±$22kLowest about the MA average
	Bellingham and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$450,700±$13kHighest 20% below MA	$422,000±$36kLowest 25% below MA
	Bellingham and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,836±$196Lowest 4% above MA	$1,843±$268Highest 5% above MA
	Westminster and Bellingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,030Highest 16% below MA	$4,973Lowest 17% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.8%±16.6Highest MA: 51.8%	60%±27.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Bellingham and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest MA: 10%	2.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Lowest 9 yrs newer than MA	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 24% above MA	27 minLowest 7% below MA
Work from home	18.3%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Bellingham and Westminster 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	#232 of 282 in MA	#112 of 282 in MA
School district	Bellingham	Ashburnham-Westminster
High school in town	Bellingham High School	Oakmont Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.4Lowest	13.6Highest
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.