What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

New Braintree has the most people working from home (7.4%).

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	New Braintree
People
Population	798Lowest	973Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	-0.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43±9.1Lowest 11% above U.S.	47.8±4.6Highest 23% above U.S.
	New Braintree 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%	20%±4.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	New Braintree 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%	25.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Croydon and New Braintree 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%	41.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Croydon and New Braintree 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.	$99,500±$8kHighest 23% above U.S.
	New Braintree 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.	$408,800±$27kHighest 23% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$991±$336Lowest 30% below U.S.	$1,484±$316Highest 5% above U.S.
	New Braintree and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,806Lowest 22% above U.S.	$5,508Highest 77% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.1%±75.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	51.4%±51.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	New Braintree and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	37 minHighest 39% above U.S.
Work from home	5.3%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	7.4%±3.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	New Braintree and Croydon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Croydon School District	Quabbin
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.