What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Fair Haven has the most affordable homes ($177k 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	Fair Haven
People
Population	21,148Highest	2,724Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.	39.2±7.6Lowest about the U.S. average
	Gardner and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±5.1Highest 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+	19.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±4.5Lowest 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+	23.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±2.9Lowest 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	$67,518±$8kHighest 16% below U.S.	$62,404±$16kLowest 23% 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	$301,600±$20kHighest 9% below U.S.	$176,500±$14kLowest 47% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Highest 22% below U.S.	$830±$116Lowest 41% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Highest 33% above U.S.	$3,865Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±20.9Highest 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	13.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Highest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#273 of 282 in MA	#66 of 70 in VT
School district	Gardner	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	Gardner High	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.