What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k median).

Gardner has the most homeowners (58.9%).

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	Boston	Gardner
People
Population	666,442Highest	21,148Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Highest 26% below MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Boston and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	13.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1954Highest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Gardner
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	13.5Lowest
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.