What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Middlefield has the most affordable homes ($376k 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	Middlefield
People
Population	8,606Highest	4,243Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.	51.6±1.9Highest 33% above U.S.
Kids under 18	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%	13.9%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Middlefield 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%	25.5%±7.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Middlefield 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%	41.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.7%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Middlefield 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.	$99,837±$20kLowest 24% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Middlefield 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.	$376,000±$27kLowest 13% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,338±$539Lowest 65% above U.S.	$3,501Highest 148% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.	$6,853Lowest 120% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	68.3%±36.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	85.4%±52.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Middlefield and Lancaster 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%	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.	25 minLowest 6% below U.S.
Work from home	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.9%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#145 of 282 in MA	#65 of 149 in CT
School district	Nashoba	Regional School District 13
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.