What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has the highest household income ($68k).

Greenfield has the shortest commute (17 min average).

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	Greenfield
People
Population	21,148Highest	17,664Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA	44.6±2.1Highest 12% above MA
	Greenfield and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3 MA: 19.4%	18.3%±1.9 MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Greenfield and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	39.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Gardner and Greenfield 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 35% below MA	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA
	Gardner and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kHighest 46% below MA	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Highest 37% below MA	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA
	Gardner and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA	$4,769Highest 20% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield 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%	15.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	55.7%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	17 minLowest 40% below MA
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	11.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Gardner and Greenfield 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	#273 of 282 in MA	#257 of 282 in MA
School district	Gardner	Greenfield
High school in town	Gardner High	Greenfield High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	10.9Lowest
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.