What stands out worked out from the figures below

Braintree Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.5%).

Charlton has the most affordable homes ($428k 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	Braintree Town	Charlton
People
Population	38,899Highest	13,435Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.2Lowest 3% above MA	43±4Highest 8% above MA
	Charlton and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±1.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.7%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Charlton and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±1.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	18%±2.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Charlton and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	37.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.8%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Charlton and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,214±$10kHighest 18% above MA	$117,587±$8kLowest 13% above MA
	Braintree Town and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$656,800±$14kHighest 17% above MA	$427,500±$19kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,024±$195Highest 15% above MA	$1,381±$415Lowest 22% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,436Highest 9% below MA	$4,617Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±7.5Highest MA: 51.8%	41.3%±9.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Braintree Town and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest MA: 10%	2.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 12% above MA	33 minHighest 13% above MA
Work from home	18.2%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%	13%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Braintree Town and Charlton 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	#84 of 282 in MA	#133 of 282 in MA
School district	Braintree	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric
High school in town	Braintree High	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.7Highest	9.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.