What stands out worked out from the figures below

Charlton has the most people working from home (13%).

Swansea has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.1%).

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	Swansea
People
Population	13,435Lowest	17,359Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43±4Lowest 8% above MA	45±3.3Highest 13% above MA
	Swansea 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%	20.5%±3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Charlton and Swansea 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%	25%±3Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.6%Highest MA: 47.3%	36.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%	4.3%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Charlton and Swansea 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	$116,364±$14kLowest 12% above MA
	Charlton and Swansea 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	$445,000±$19kHighest 21% below MA
	Swansea and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,381±$415Highest 22% below MA	$1,226±$84Lowest 30% below MA
	Charlton and Swansea are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,617Lowest 23% below MA	$4,846Highest 19% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.3%±9.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.1%±17.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swansea 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%	2.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 13% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	13%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%	7.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Charlton and Swansea 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	#131 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric	Swansea
High school in town	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School	Joseph Case High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	11.0Highest
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.