What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlton has the highest household income ($118k).

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	Charlton	Gardner
People
Population	13,435Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43±4Lowest 8% above MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
	Gardner and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.7%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	18%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.6%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Charlton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,587±$8kHighest 13% above MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,500±$19kHighest 24% below MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,381±$415Highest 22% below MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
	Charlton and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,617Highest 23% below MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.3%±9.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Gardner and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest MA: 10%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 13% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	13%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Gardner 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	#133 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric	Gardner
High school in town	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	13.5Highest
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.