What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has the most affordable homes ($296k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

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	Cornish	Andover
People
Population	1,816Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kLowest 14% above U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 11% below U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 14% below U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 86% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Cornish and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1973Lowest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Cornish School District	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	None in town	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.8
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.