What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the most renters (31.8% rent).

Lee has the most people working from home (27.6%).

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	Hardwick	Lee
People
Population	2,684Lowest	4,576Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±9.8Highest 16% above U.S.	42.9±1.9Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Hardwick and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.9%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lee and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.7%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±6.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hardwick and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±4.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hardwick and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,000±$22kLowest 7% below U.S.	$131,579±$54kHighest 63% above U.S.
	Lee and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$346,700±$67kLowest 4% above U.S.	$480,600±$61kHighest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,108±$119 22% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Lowest 41% above U.S.	$9,661Highest 210% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±13.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	38.3%±53.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hardwick and Lee are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.6%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	95.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1987Highest 7 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	28 minLowest 4% above U.S.
Work from home	8.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.6%±8.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#163 of 282 in MA	#3 of 120 in NH
School district	Quabbin	Oyster River Coop School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	10 photos →

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.