What stands out worked out from the figures below

Grafton has the most affordable homes ($217k median).

Mendon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Grafton	Mendon
People
Population	1,859Highest	1,113Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.4±6.9Lowest 35% above U.S.	53.4±10.5Highest 37% above U.S.
	Mendon and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.8%±4.6Highest U.S.: 22%	14.6%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Grafton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	29%±1.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	49.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.5%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Mendon and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,809±$24kHighest 25% above U.S.	$100,524±$23kLowest 25% above U.S.
	Grafton and Mendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$216,800±$39kLowest 35% below U.S.	$357,000±$44kHighest 7% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,112±$329Lowest 21% below U.S.	$1,230±$651Highest 13% below U.S.
	Mendon and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,452Lowest 11% above U.S.	$5,342Highest 71% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	7.5%±46.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	88.6%±42.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Mendon and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	92.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.
Work from home	9.7%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	22.5%±8.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Mendon and Grafton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
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.