What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most expensive homes ($590k median).

Sterling has the most people working from home (18.3%).

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	Kingston	Sterling
People
Population	5,910Lowest	8,183Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+2.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	50.4±3.4Lowest 26% above MA	51.5±1.8Highest 29% above MA
	Sterling and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.6%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Sterling and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.5%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%	22.9%±4Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	48.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.6%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.8%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$150,886±$30kHighest 45% above MA	$129,063±$27kLowest 24% above MA
	Kingston and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$589,900±$36kHighest 5% above MA	$498,800±$48kLowest 11% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,603±$539Lowest 9% below MA	$1,699±$161Highest 4% below MA
	Sterling and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,660Lowest 11% above MA	$6,757Highest 13% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.7%±25.8Highest MA: 51.8%	46%±23.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Kingston and Sterling are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.9%Lowest MA: 10%	6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 5 yrs older than MA	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 30% above MA	34 minLowest 18% above MA
Work from home	11.3%±5Lowest MA: 18.6%	18.3%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
	Sterling and Kingston 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	#99 of 282 in MA	#135 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Wachusett
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.