What stands out worked out from the figures below

Danforth has the most affordable homes ($85k median).

Lowell has the most people working from home (10.8%).

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	Danforth	Lowell
People
Population	452Highest	378Lowest
Median age	51.9±5.3Lowest 16% above ME	55.5±8.6Highest 24% above ME
	Lowell and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.8%±6.6Highest ME: 18.1%	13.2%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Danforth and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±5.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	31.2%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Lowell and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	4.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%	30%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±2.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Danforth and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$42,264±$11kLowest 43% below ME	$50,833±$31kHighest 32% below ME
	Lowell and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$85,200±$20kLowest 71% below ME	$209,700±$30kHighest 29% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$629±$22 45% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	—	$1,478 51% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	11.5%±71.8Lowest ME: 48.4%	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Lowell and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%	88.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Lowest 4 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 9% above ME	31 minHighest 24% above ME
Work from home	3%±2.8Lowest ME: 15.9%	10.8%±5.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Lowell and Danforth are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.