What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chatham has the highest household income ($66k).

Stow has the most people working from home (17.7%).

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	Stow
People
Population	430Lowest	535Highest
Median age	48.3±8.6Lowest 24% above U.S.	57±10.5Highest 47% above U.S.
	Stow and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±7.4Highest U.S.: 22%	15.7%±5.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chatham and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26.5%±10Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	37.9%±17.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stow and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Chatham and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,042±$19kHighest 18% below U.S.	$42,204±$22kLowest 48% below U.S.
	Chatham and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$362,900±$42kHighest 9% above U.S.	$326,400±$42kLowest about the U.S. average
	Chatham and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,690Highest 18% above U.S.	$3,304Lowest 6% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.3%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	20%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Chatham and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1% U.S.: 12.5%	8.1% U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1998Highest 18 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minLowest 35% above U.S.	51 minHighest 95% above U.S.
Work from home	7.3%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.7%±12Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Stow and Chatham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.