What stands out worked out from the figures below

Buckland has the most affordable homes ($321k median).

Douglas has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

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	Buckland	Douglas
People
Population	2,036Lowest	9,207Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.5±5.4Highest 24% above MA	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA
	Buckland and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,877±$6kLowest 20% below MA	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$321,400±$25kLowest 43% below MA	$470,600±$29kHighest 16% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,111±$213Lowest 37% below MA	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA
	Douglas and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,761Lowest 21% below MA	$6,338Highest 6% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58%±20.9Highest MA: 51.8%	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Buckland and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Highest MA: 10%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	34 minHighest 16% above MA
Work from home	14.1%±5.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%
	Douglas and Buckland 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	—	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Mohawk Trail	Douglas
High school in town	Mohawk Trail Regional School	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5Highest	7.2Lowest
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.