What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has the most renters (41.1% rent).

Stafford has the highest household income ($93k).

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	Stafford
People
Population	21,148Highest	11,511Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.	46.7±4.8Highest 20% above U.S.
	Stafford 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 U.S.: 22%	21.5%±3.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stafford 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 U.S.: 17.2%	22%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stafford 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 U.S.: 35.7%	28.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.5%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gardner and Stafford 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 16% below U.S.	$93,235±$16kHighest 15% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kHighest 9% below U.S.	$263,800±$22kLowest 21% below U.S.
	Gardner and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,086±$85Lowest 23% below U.S.
	Gardner and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,150Lowest 33% above U.S.	$5,131Highest 65% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.5%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gardner and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1970Highest 10 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Gardner and Stafford 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	#96 of 149 in CT
School district	Gardner	Stafford School District
High school in town	Gardner High	Stafford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Highest	9.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

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.