What stands out worked out from the figures below

Conway has the shortest commute (24 min average).

Shutesbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (-3%).

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	Conway	Shutesbury
People
Population	1,755Lowest	1,910Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	55.6±3Highest 39% above MA	50.2±4.5Lowest 26% above MA
	Conway and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.5%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%	14.2%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Conway and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.9%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%	25.2%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	70%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.6%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.1%±3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Shutesbury and Conway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,250±$11kLowest 6% below MA	$123,333±$12kHighest 19% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$395,900±$25kHighest 30% below MA	$376,100±$21kLowest 33% below MA
	Conway and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,800±$990Highest about the MA average	$1,721±$111Lowest about the MA average
	Conway and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,797Lowest 3% below MA	$6,642Highest 11% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.9%±33.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	40%±17Highest MA: 51.8%
	Shutesbury and Conway are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	91.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 12 yrs newer than MA	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 18% below MA	33 minHighest 12% above MA
Work from home	29.1%±8.5Highest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±7.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Conway and Shutesbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Conway	Shutesbury
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.