What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Wrentham has the highest household income ($152k).

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	Wrentham
People
Population	21,148Highest	12,297Lowest
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	46.8±3.2Highest 17% above MA
	Wrentham 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%	19.8%±2.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Wrentham 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%	21.7%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wrentham 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%	55.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.2%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Wrentham 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	$151,676±$17kHighest 46% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA	$654,900±$26kHighest 17% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA	$1,184±$628Highest 33% below MA
	Wrentham and Gardner 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	$7,373Highest 23% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	40.6%±15.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Gardner and Wrentham 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%	6.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#273 of 282 in MA	#49 of 282 in MA
School district	Gardner	King Philip · Wrentham
High school in town	Gardner High	King Philip Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5	13.5
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.