What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chelmsford has the most people working from home (22.8%).

New Bedford has the most renters (59.7% rent).

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	Chelmsford	New Bedford
People
Population	36,446Lowest	100,998Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.9Highest 4% above MA	37±0.8Lowest 8% below MA
Kids under 18	21.6%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.9%±1.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	New Bedford and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	17%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Chelmsford and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$140,629±$8kHighest 35% above MA	$56,981±$3kLowest 45% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$593,700±$17kHighest 6% above MA	$357,300±$6kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,062±$151Highest 17% above MA	$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,047Highest 34% above MA	$4,338Lowest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.7%±10Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.6%±3.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	New Bedford and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%	20.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 3 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% below MA	25 minLowest 15% below MA
Work from home	22.8%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%	5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#79 of 282 in MA	#263 of 282 in MA
School district	Chelmsford	New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Chelmsford High	New Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	13.5Lowest
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.