What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chelmsford has the most expensive homes ($594k median).

Windsor Locks has the most affordable homes ($259k median).

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	Windsor Locks
People
Population	36,446Highest	12,579Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	41.6±1.9Highest 7% above U.S.	41.4±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Chelmsford and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%	18.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Chelmsford and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.1%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.2%±2.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windsor Locks and Chelmsford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	28.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windsor Locks and Chelmsford 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 74% above U.S.	$81,205±$13kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$593,700±$17kHighest 78% above U.S.	$258,800±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,062±$151Highest 46% above U.S.	$1,394±$187Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,047Highest 158% above U.S.	$3,688Lowest 18% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.7%±10Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	58.2%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windsor Locks 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 U.S.: 12.5%	10.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Highest 13 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 6% above U.S.	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.
Work from home	22.8%±2.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.7%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Chelmsford and Windsor Locks 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	#79 of 282 in MA	#109 of 149 in CT
School district	Chelmsford	Windsor Locks School District
High school in town	Chelmsford High	Windsor Locks High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	8.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.