What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Housatonic has the most people working from home (26%).

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	Housatonic
People
Population	2,036Highest	1,113Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-2.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49.5±5.4Lowest 24% above MA	51.8±9.1Highest 30% above MA
	Housatonic and Buckland 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%	19%±8.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Housatonic and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.4%±4.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	28.3%±10.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Housatonic and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	52.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.2Highest MA: 7.9%	2%±3.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Buckland and Housatonic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$82,877±$6k 20% below MA	—
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$321,400±$25kLowest 43% below MA	$437,000±$47kHighest 22% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,111±$213Lowest 37% below MA	$1,491±$462Highest 15% below MA
	Housatonic 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	$4,920Highest 18% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58%±20.9Highest MA: 51.8%	51.7%±33.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Buckland and Housatonic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13%Lowest MA: 10%	16.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	69.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Highest 14 yrs older than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	14.1%±5.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	26%±12.7Highest MA: 18.6%
	Housatonic and Buckland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Mohawk Trail	—
High school in town	Mohawk Trail Regional School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	9.5	—
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.