What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Pepperell has the most people working from home (18.1%).

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	Pepperell
People
Population	1,703Lowest	11,663Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+0.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.3±2.4Highest 8% above MA	42.4±3.3Lowest 6% above MA
	Erving and Pepperell 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%	20.1%±3.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Pepperell 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%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Erving and Pepperell 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%	43.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.7%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Pepperell 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	$124,073±$12kHighest 19% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,800±$20kLowest 52% below MA	$482,100±$14kHighest 14% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,163±$213Lowest 34% below MA	$1,295±$238Highest 27% below MA
	Pepperell and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,870Lowest 69% below MA	$6,698Highest 12% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.5%±23Highest MA: 51.8%	45.1%±16.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Erving and Pepperell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% below MA	34 minHighest 16% above MA
Work from home	3.6%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%	18.1%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#153 of 282 in MA
School district	Erving	North Middlesex
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.