What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has the highest household income ($152k).

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k median).

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	Douglas	Gardner
People
Population	9,207Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Highest 10% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Douglas and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kHighest 16% below MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
	Douglas and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Highest 6% above MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Gardner and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Douglas and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Gardner
High school in town	Douglas High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.