What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lancaster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Lancaster
People
Population	1,816Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54±8.3Highest 39% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Cornish and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.4%±3.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Cornish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Cornish and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.4%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lancaster 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±$2kLowest 14% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$296,000±$69kLowest 11% below U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,221±$227Lowest 14% below U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,796Lowest 86% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	40.5%±38.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Cornish 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%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	12%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Cornish School District	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.