What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lowell has the most expensive homes ($210k median).

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($123k 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	Lowell	Springfield
People
Population	378Highest	310Lowest
Median age	55.5±8.6Highest 24% above ME	52.4±7Lowest 17% above ME
	Lowell and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	18.1%±5.6Highest ME: 18.1%
	Springfield and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.2%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%	21.6%±5.4Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Lowell and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30%Highest ME: 36.2%	17.3%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	0.6%±3.7Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Lowell and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$50,833±$31kLowest 32% below ME	$60,833±$23kHighest 19% below ME
	Springfield and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,700±$30kHighest 29% below ME	$122,500±$28kLowest 59% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,478Highest 51% below ME	$1,067Lowest 65% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	80%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	5.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1987Lowest 10 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 24% above ME	30 minLowest 21% above ME
Work from home	10.8%±5.7Highest ME: 15.9%	9.6%±5.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Lowell and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.