What stands out worked out from the figures below

Greenfield has the shortest commute (17 min average).

Gardner has the highest household income ($68k).

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	Greenfield	Gardner
People
Population	17,664Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.2% MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.1Highest 12% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Greenfield and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±1.9 MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3 MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	23.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Greenfield and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Gardner and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA	$67,518±$8kHighest 35% below MA
	Gardner and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA	$301,600±$20kHighest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA	$1,109±$51Highest 37% below MA
	Gardner and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,769Highest 20% below MA	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest MA: 10%	13.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1954Highest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 40% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	11.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Gardner and Greenfield 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	#257 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Greenfield	Gardner
High school in town	Greenfield High	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	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.