What stands out worked out from the figures below

Croydon has the most affordable homes ($317k median).

Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).

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	Croydon	Lancaster
People
Population	798Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±9.1Lowest 11% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Highest 11% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Croydon and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	21.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Croydon and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$98,333±$21kLowest 22% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$317,300±$33kLowest 5% below U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$991±$336Lowest 30% below U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,806Lowest 22% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±75.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest 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	Croydon 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.