What stands out worked out from the figures below

Erving has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Ashland has the most people working from home (22.7%).

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	Erving	Ashland
People
Population	1,703Lowest	18,873Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+13.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.3±2.4Highest 8% above MA	42.1±1.4Lowest 5% above MA
	Erving and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.4%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Ashland and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%	18.2%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Erving and Ashland are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	60.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±1.2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Ashland and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,656±$9kLowest 25% below MA	$127,539±$11kHighest 23% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,800±$20kLowest 52% below MA	$611,700±$18kHighest 9% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,163±$213Lowest 34% below MA	$2,452±$298Highest 39% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,870Lowest 69% below MA	$7,444Highest 24% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.5%±23Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.2%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Ashland and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest MA: 10%	3.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% below MA	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	3.6%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.7%±3.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#42 of 282 in MA
School district	Erving	Ashland
High school in town	None in town	Ashland High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	14.0
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.