What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k 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	Georgetown	Gardner
People
Population	8,474Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3.5Lowest 7% above MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
	Gardner and Georgetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.5%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Georgetown and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.5%±2.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Georgetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	56.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Gardner and Georgetown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$151,595±$23kHighest 46% above MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$651,200±$23kHighest 16% above MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,223±$506Highest 26% above MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,272Highest 21% above MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.7%±22.5Highest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Georgetown and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	20.2%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Georgetown 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	#140 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Georgetown	Gardner
High school in town	Georgetown High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.3Lowest	13.5Highest
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.