What stands out worked out from the figures below

Concord has the most expensive homes ($1210k median).

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k 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	Concord	Gardner
People
Population	18,223Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.6±2Highest 19% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Concord and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.6%±2.6Highest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	23.7%±2.9Highest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Concord and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	79.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Concord and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$195,350±$22kHighest 88% above MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,210,000±$72kHighest 115% above MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,631±$166Highest 49% above MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.2%±10.5Highest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Concord and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	36.1%±4.5Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#10 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Concord · Concord-Carlisle	Gardner
High school in town	Concord Carlisle High	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	13.5Highest
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.