What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k median).

Northborough has the highest household income ($153k).

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	Northborough
People
Population	21,148Highest	15,750Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA	45±3Highest 13% above MA
	Northborough 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%	21.6%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Northborough 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 MA: 17.9%	17.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Northborough 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%	65.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Northborough and Gardner 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	$153,199±$19kHighest 47% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA	$620,000±$24kHighest 10% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA	$1,919±$269Highest 9% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA	$7,983Highest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	50.1%±16.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northborough 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%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	31 minHighest 7% above MA
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	22.5%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#273 of 282 in MA	#35 of 282 in MA
School district	Gardner	Northborough · Northboro-Southboro
High school in town	Gardner High	Algonquin Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	10.8Lowest
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.