What stands out worked out from the figures below

Florida has the most affordable homes ($247k median).

Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).

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	Florida	Lancaster
People
Population	668Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	56.1±4.4Highest 40% above MA	43.1±4.9Lowest 8% above MA
Kids under 18	11.5%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.2%±4Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	30.1%±4.6Highest MA: 17.9%	19.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	50.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%	3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Florida and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$86,875±$17kLowest 16% below MA	$134,833±$27kHighest 30% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$246,800±$19kLowest 56% below MA	$519,100±$60kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$867±$256Lowest 51% below MA	$2,338±$539Highest 33% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,894Lowest 68% below MA	$7,235Highest 21% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	16.7%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.3%±36.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lancaster and Florida are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest MA: 10%	1.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.3%Highest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 14 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 10% below MA	32 minHighest 9% above MA
Work from home	6.4%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.6%±9.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Florida	Nashoba
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.