What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.7%).

Standish has the most affordable homes ($336k 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	Dracut	Standish
People
Population	32,574Highest	10,662Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Highest 7% above U.S.	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.
	Dracut and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Dracut and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Dracut and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.	$104,593±$15kLowest 30% above U.S.
	Dracut and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kHighest 42% above U.S.	$336,000±$18kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Highest 72% above U.S.	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	57.4%±22.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Dracut and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1980Highest same as U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	29 minLowest 11% above U.S.
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.6%±3.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Standish and Dracut 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	#201 of 282 in MA	#18 of 133 in ME
School district	Dracut	RSU 06/MSAD 06
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Bonny Eagle High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	12.5Lowest
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.