What stands out worked out from the figures below

Hardwick has the most expensive homes ($347k median).

Walden has the most people working from home (21.4%).

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	Walden
People
Population	2,684Highest	1,037Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-10.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±9.8Lowest 16% above U.S.	48.8±3.2Highest 25% above U.S.
	Walden and Hardwick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.6Highest U.S.: 22%	14.3%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Hardwick and Walden 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%	20.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Hardwick and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	26.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.2%±4.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Hardwick and Walden 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.	$88,000±$15kHighest 9% above U.S.
	Walden 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±$67kHighest 4% above U.S.	$238,900±$23kLowest 28% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,108±$119Highest 22% below U.S.	$900±$136Lowest 36% below U.S.
	Hardwick and Walden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,400Highest 41% above U.S.	$3,944Lowest 26% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59%±13.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	56.3%±86.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Hardwick and Walden 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%	9.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	8.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.4%±6.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#163 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Quabbin	Caledonia Cooperative Unified School District #78
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.