What stands out worked out from the figures below

Erving has the shortest commute (28 min average).

Rowe has the most people working from home (7.2%).

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	Rowe
People
Population	1,703Highest	453Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.3±2.4Lowest 8% above MA	48.9±6.4Highest 22% above MA
	Rowe and Erving 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%	23%±5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Rowe and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±2.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	30.2%±8.1Highest MA: 17.9%
	Rowe and Erving 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%	26.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.3%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Rowe 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±$9kHighest 25% below MA	$69,583±$13kLowest 33% below MA
	Erving and Rowe are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,800±$20kLowest 52% below MA	$275,000±$41kHighest 51% below MA
	Rowe and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,163±$213Lowest 34% below MA	$1,313±$576Highest 25% below MA
	Rowe and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,870Highest 69% below MA	$1,458Lowest 76% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.5%±23Highest MA: 51.8%	11.8%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Erving and Rowe 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%	15.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	90.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1959Highest 5 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 4% below MA	36 minHighest 22% above MA
Work from home	3.6%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%	7.2%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Rowe and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Erving	Rowe
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.