What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has the most homeowners (58.9%).

Boston has the most expensive homes ($732k median).

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	Gardner	Boston
People
Population	21,148Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA	$4,456Highest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Boston and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.7%Lowest MA: 10%	16.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Highest 10 yrs older than MA	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#273 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Gardner	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Gardner High	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	18.7Highest
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.