What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fair Haven has the most affordable homes ($177k median).

Gardner has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.2%).

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	Fair Haven	Gardner
People
Population	2,724Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	39.2±7.6Lowest about the U.S. average	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Gardner and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 22%	18.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Fair Haven and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gardner and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	23.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gardner and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,404±$16kLowest 23% below U.S.	$67,518±$8kHighest 16% below U.S.
	Gardner and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$176,500±$14kLowest 47% below U.S.	$301,600±$20kHighest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$830±$116Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,109±$51Highest 22% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,865Lowest 24% above U.S.	$4,150Highest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.9%±20.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.7%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fair Haven and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	18.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	13.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	80.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1954Highest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	4.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#66 of 70 in VT	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62	Gardner
High school in town	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	12 photos →	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.