What stands out worked out from the figures below

Leominster has the most affordable homes ($380k median).

Methuen has the highest household income ($113k).

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	Leominster	Methuen
People
Population	43,909Lowest	53,475Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.4% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.3±2.2Highest 8% above MA	39.9±1.7Lowest about the MA average
	Leominster and Methuen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.3%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Methuen and Leominster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.3%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%	17.2%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Leominster and Methuen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	31%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.9%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Methuen and Leominster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$83,816±$7kLowest 19% below MA	$113,310±$7kHighest 9% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$380,400±$14kLowest 32% below MA	$499,700±$17kHighest 11% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,354±$50Lowest 23% below MA	$1,749±$91Highest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,256Highest 12% below MA	$5,061Lowest 16% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%	48.4%±6.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Leominster and Methuen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.2%Highest MA: 10%	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	72.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 10% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	10.9%±2.1Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.2%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%
	Methuen and Leominster 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	#233 of 282 in MA	#236 of 282 in MA
School district	Leominster	Methuen
High school in town	Leominster High School	Methuen High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	13.1Highest
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.