What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boylston has the most people working from home (22.7%).

Westminster has the most affordable homes ($422k median).

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	Boylston	Westminster
People
Population	4,948Lowest	8,374Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.2±2.3Lowest 21% above MA	48.3±4.6Highest 21% above MA
	Westminster and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.3%±4.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Westminster and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22%±4.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	26%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Westminster and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	45.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Boylston and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,962±$28kHighest 36% above MA	$106,331±$22kLowest about the MA average
	Boylston and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$578,600±$47kHighest about the MA average	$422,000±$36kLowest 25% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,032±$350Highest 15% above MA	$1,843±$268Lowest 5% above MA
	Boylston and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,266Highest 21% above MA	$4,973Lowest 17% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.1%±16.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	60%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Westminster and Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest MA: 10%	2.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	87.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977 13 yrs newer than MA	1977 13 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 8% below MA	27 minHighest 7% below MA
Work from home	22.7%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#72 of 282 in MA	#112 of 282 in MA
School district	Berlin-Boylston	Ashburnham-Westminster
High school in town	Tahanto Regional High	Oakmont Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	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.