What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlton has the most affordable homes ($428k median).

Stoneham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.4%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	13,435Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43±4Highest 8% above MA	42.2±2.2Lowest 6% above MA
	Charlton and Stoneham 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%	20.8%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Charlton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Stoneham 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	55.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Charlton and Stoneham 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	$113,964±$10kLowest 10% above MA
	Charlton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$427,500±$19kLowest 24% below MA	$671,900±$26kHighest 20% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,381±$415Lowest 22% below MA	$2,035±$142Highest 15% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,617Lowest 23% below MA	$6,523Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.3%±9.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±8.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Stoneham 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%	5.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	71%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 13% above MA	28 minLowest 4% below MA
Work from home	13%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.6%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#133 of 282 in MA	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric	Stoneham
High school in town	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	10.7Highest
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.