What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).

Beacon Falls has the most affordable homes ($350k median).

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	Lancaster	Beacon Falls
People
Population	8,606Highest	6,147Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.	48.4±3.8Highest 24% above U.S.
	Beacon Falls and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	18%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	23.5%±4.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Beacon Falls and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	44.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.3%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Beacon Falls and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.	$101,516±$42kLowest 26% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.	$350,300±$34kLowest 5% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.	$1,921±$286Lowest 36% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.	$6,534Lowest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%	50.7%±30.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Beacon Falls are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	2.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.	33 minHighest 24% above U.S.
Work from home	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	20.3%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Lancaster and Beacon Falls 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	#145 of 282 in MA	#77 of 149 in CT
School district	Nashoba	Regional School District 16
High school in town	None in town	Woodland Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.2
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.