What stands out worked out from the figures below

Green Harbor has the most expensive homes ($817k median).

Petersham has the most people working from home (16.2%).

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	Green Harbor	Petersham
People
Population	1,314Highest	1,185Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-3.2% MA: +7.4%
Median age	70.2±45.7Highest 76% above MA	56.3±2.7Lowest 41% above MA
	Green Harbor and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.4%±8.7Highest MA: 19.4%	12.7%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Green Harbor and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	53.7%±46.9Highest MA: 17.9%	30.5%±4.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Green Harbor and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	42.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$203,159±$149kHighest 95% above MA	$110,750±$20kLowest 7% above MA
	Green Harbor and Petersham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$816,900±$187kHighest 45% above MA	$392,400±$20kLowest 30% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,679±$441 5% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,923Highest about the MA average	$4,636Lowest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	20%±100 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.8%Lowest MA: 10%	8.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest MA: 62.5%	94.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	39 min 32% above MA
Work from home	5%±7.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±5.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Petersham and Green Harbor are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	Petersham
High school in town	—	None in town
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.