What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lexington has the most expensive homes ($1203k 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	Lexington
People
Population	9,207Lowest	34,295Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA	47.3±0.8Highest 18% above MA
	Lexington and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	25.5%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Lexington and Douglas 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%	21.7%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	84.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas and Lexington 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	$238,444±$18kHighest 129% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA	$1,203,100±$35kHighest 114% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Lowest 15% below MA	$2,891±$233Highest 64% above MA
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%	50.1%±7.1Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lexington 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%	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	80.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.7%±3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#2 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Lexington
High school in town	Douglas High School	Lexington High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	11.4Highest
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.