What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has the most people working from home (20.9%).

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Thomaston
People
Population	9,207Highest	7,492Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	44±2.6Highest 13% above U.S.	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Douglas and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Douglas and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thomaston 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 U.S.: 35.7%	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Douglas 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 89% above U.S.	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kHighest 41% above U.S.	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Highest 6% above U.S.	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.
	Douglas and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Highest 103% above U.S.	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston 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 U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 28% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	Douglas	Thomaston School District
High school in town	Douglas High School	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	10.7Highest
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.