What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has the most affordable homes ($474k median).

Stowe has the most people working from home (24.4%).

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	Stowe
People
Population	32,574Highest	5,285Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+21.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Lowest 7% above U.S.	46.3±7.6Highest 19% above U.S.
	Stowe and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.5%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stowe and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	25.8%±6.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stowe and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	66.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.6%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kHighest 41% above U.S.	$93,618±$33kLowest 16% above U.S.
	Dracut and Stowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kLowest 42% above U.S.	$647,800±$157kHighest 95% above U.S.
	Stowe and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Highest 30% above U.S.	$1,458±$242Lowest 3% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Lowest 72% above U.S.	$7,161Highest 130% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	24.5%±15.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	9.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	78.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 5 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.4%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#201 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Dracut	Stowe Town School District
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Stowe High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	11.3Lowest
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.