What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lowell has the shortest commute (31 min average).

Stow has the most people working from home (17.7%).

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	Stow
People
Population	378Lowest	535Highest
Median age	55.5±8.6Lowest 24% above ME	57±10.5Highest 27% above ME
	Stow and Lowell 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%	15.7%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%
	Stow and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	37.9%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Stow and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30%Lowest ME: 36.2%	33.4%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%	3%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stow and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$50,833±$31kHighest 32% below ME	$42,204±$22kLowest 44% below ME
	Lowell and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,700±$30kLowest 29% below ME	$326,400±$42kHighest 10% above ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,478Lowest 51% below ME	$3,304Highest 9% above ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	20%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Lowell and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Highest ME: 10.7%	8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Lowest 13 yrs newer than ME	1998Highest 21 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 24% above ME	51 minHighest 109% above ME
Work from home	10.8%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	17.7%±12Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stow and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.