What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Montague has the shortest commute (21 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	Montague
People
Population	21,148Highest	8,482Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA	44.3±3.1Highest 11% above MA
	Montague and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	19%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Montague and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.5%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Montague 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%	37.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Gardner and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA	$70,510±$12kHighest 32% below MA
	Montague and Gardner 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	$282,100±$17kLowest 50% below MA
	Gardner and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA	$1,207±$115Highest 31% below MA
	Montague and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Highest 31% below MA	$3,922Lowest 35% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Montague and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.7%Highest MA: 10%	11.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	62.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Highest 10 yrs older than MA	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	21 minLowest 28% below MA
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%
	Montague and Gardner 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	#265 of 282 in MA
School district	Gardner	Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical · Gill-Montague
High school in town	Gardner High	Franklin County Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	11.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.