What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westford has the most people working from home (27%).

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	Westford
People
Population	32,574Highest	24,690Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Lowest 4% above MA	42.8±1.2Highest 7% above MA
	Westford 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 MA: 19.4%	25.6%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Westford and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2Highest MA: 17.9%	14.6%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Dracut and Westford 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 MA: 47.3%	73.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.3%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Westford and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kLowest 10% above MA	$187,198±$10kHighest 80% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kLowest 16% below MA	$748,500±$32kHighest 33% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Lowest 4% above MA	$2,436±$422Highest 38% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Lowest 10% below MA	$9,695Highest 62% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest MA: 51.8%	53%±8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Dracut and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest MA: 10%	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Lowest 11 yrs newer than MA	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	31 minHighest 6% above MA
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%	27%±2.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#201 of 282 in MA	#20 of 282 in MA
School district	Dracut	Nashoba Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Westford
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Westford Academy
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Lowest	14.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.