What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bowerbank has the highest household income ($93k).

Stoneham has the shortest commute (29 min average).

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	Bowerbank	Stoneham
People
Population	211Lowest	271Highest
Median age	58.3±17.3Lowest 30% above ME	60.6±7.1Highest 35% above ME
	Stoneham and Bowerbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	6.6%±10.8Highest ME: 18.1%	5.9%±7.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Bowerbank and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	33.6%±20.9Lowest ME: 22.4%	41%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Stoneham and Bowerbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%	37.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±7.4Lowest ME: 5.8%	14.8%±13.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stoneham and Bowerbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,125±$30kHighest 25% above ME	$63,750±$27kLowest 15% below ME
	Bowerbank and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$199,500±$125kLowest 33% below ME	$226,200±$32kHighest 24% below ME
	Stoneham and Bowerbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,125±$383 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,118Lowest 63% below ME	$1,426Highest 53% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	100%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Bowerbank and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.4%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME	1983Highest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	48 minHighest 93% above ME	29 minLowest 18% above ME
Work from home	30.5%±29.2Lowest ME: 15.9%	40.7%±15.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stoneham and Bowerbank are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.