What stands out worked out from the figures below

Cornish has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.5%).

Braintree has the most people working from home (19%).

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	Braintree
People
Population	1,816Highest	1,026Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-3.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Lowest 39% above U.S.	58.4±2.4Highest 50% above U.S.
	Braintree and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	12.3%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Cornish and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	33.2%±3.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Braintree and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	1.8%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Braintree and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,821±$2kHighest 14% above U.S.	$79,803±$5kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kHighest 11% below U.S.	$217,700±$28kLowest 35% below U.S.
	Cornish and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Highest 14% below U.S.	$840±$405Lowest 41% below U.S.
	Cornish and Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Highest 86% above U.S.	$3,908Lowest 25% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	43.4%±29.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Braintree and Cornish 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%	11.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	81%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	26 minHighest about the U.S. average
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±7.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Braintree and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Cornish School District	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.