What stands out worked out from the figures below

Framingham has the most expensive homes ($627k median).

Windham has the most homeowners (84.6%).

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	Framingham	Windham
People
Population	72,399Highest	19,188Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.5±1Lowest 4% below U.S.	41.8±1.8Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	21.7%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Framingham and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	15.9%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windham and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,419±$6kLowest 33% above U.S.	$107,934±$14kHighest 34% above U.S.
	Windham and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$627,300±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.	$388,900±$22kLowest 17% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,033±$57Highest 44% above U.S.	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,884Highest 121% above U.S.	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	19.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	19%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Framingham and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#229 of 282 in MA	#95 of 133 in ME
School district	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical	RSU 14
High school in town	Framingham High School	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	12.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	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.