What stands out worked out from the figures below

Madison has the shortest commute (22 min average).

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

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	Madison	Lancaster
People
Population	2,680Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	50.3±9.7Highest 29% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Madison and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.1%±6.7Highest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Madison and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.1%±5.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Madison and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lancaster and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,697±$11kLowest 27% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,700±$36kLowest 17% above U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,556±$256Lowest 10% above U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Madison are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,074Lowest 31% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	69.2%±46Highest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Madison and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	94.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 16% below U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	8%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Madison School District	Nashoba
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.