What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Townsend has the youngest population (median age 40.9).

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	Townsend
People
Population	13,435Highest	9,100Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43±4Highest 8% above MA	40.9±3.3Lowest about the MA average
	Charlton and Townsend 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%	21%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Charlton and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18%±2.8Highest MA: 17.9%	17.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Charlton and Townsend 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%	35.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.8%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Charlton and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$117,587±$8kLowest 13% above MA	$121,528±$23kHighest 17% above MA
	Townsend and Charlton 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	$433,200±$22kHighest 23% below MA
	Townsend and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,381±$415Lowest 22% below MA	$1,469±$313Highest 17% below MA
	Townsend and Charlton 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	$6,031Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.3%±9.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.6%±16.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Townsend 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%	8.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	82%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA	1976Lowest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 13% above MA	37 minHighest 27% above MA
Work from home	13%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%	10.5%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Charlton and Townsend 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	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric	North Middlesex
High school in town	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	13.1Highest
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.