What stands out worked out from the figures below

Gardner has the most people working from home (13.3%).

Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Windham
People
Population	21,148Lowest	23,961Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.
Kids under 18	18.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham 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%	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	15.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$67,518±$8kHighest 16% below U.S.	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.
	Gardner and Windham 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.	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Highest 22% below U.S.	$1,107±$69Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Gardner and Windham 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.	$4,633Highest 49% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham 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%	20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.	1956Highest 24 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#273 of 282 in MA	#143 of 149 in CT
School district	Gardner	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS
High school in town	Gardner High	Windham 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.