What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cheshire has the most affordable homes ($268k median).

Union has the most people working from home (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	Cheshire	Union
People
Population	3,216Highest	944Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.7% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	53.7±4.5Highest 38% above U.S.	49.9±4.3Lowest 28% above U.S.
	Cheshire and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.3%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Union and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±7.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	24.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Cheshire and Union are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	24%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±2.5 U.S.: 6.4%	5%±3.3 U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,803±$14kLowest 14% below U.S.	$88,958±$14kHighest 10% above U.S.
	Union and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$268,200±$48kLowest 19% below U.S.	$330,400±$26kHighest about the U.S. average
	Union and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$4,793Highest 54% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	21.2%±24Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	90%±64.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Union and Cheshire are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	92.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	4.4%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	9%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Union and Cheshire 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	#274 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Hoosac Valley Regional	Union School District
High school in town	Hoosac Valley High School	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	10.5	—
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.