What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chatham has the most expensive homes ($943k median).

Lancaster has the most kids (19.2% under 18).

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	Chatham	Lancaster
People
Population	6,681Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	63.4±2.8Highest 59% above MA	43.1±4.9Lowest 8% above MA
Kids under 18	8.9%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.2%±4Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	45.5%±5.4Highest MA: 17.9%	19.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	50.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Chatham and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$85,167±$9kLowest 18% below MA	$134,833±$27kHighest 30% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$942,800±$78kHighest 68% above MA	$519,100±$60kLowest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,485±$209Lowest 16% below MA	$2,338±$539Highest 33% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,094Lowest 32% below MA	$7,235Highest 21% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.7%±21.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.3%±36.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lancaster and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest MA: 10%	1.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 18% below MA	32 minHighest 9% above MA
Work from home	25.5%±7.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.6%±9.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Lancaster and Chatham 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	#130 of 282 in MA	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Monomoy Regional School District	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.