What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has the most affordable homes ($471k median).

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Douglas	Harvard
People
Population	9,207Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA	44.1±4.7Highest 10% above MA
	Harvard and Douglas 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%	21.1%±4.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Harvard 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%	16.3%±2.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Harvard 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kLowest 46% above MA	$213,996±$24kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA	$833,600±$54kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Highest 15% below MA	$1,321±$424Lowest 25% below MA
	Douglas and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Lowest 6% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	72.5%±51.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harvard and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Highest MA: 10%	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	32 minLowest 9% above MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	44.8%±6.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Harvard
High school in town	Douglas High School	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	11.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	12 photos →

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.