What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marlow has the most affordable homes ($325k median).

Stow has the most people working from home (36.6%).

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	Marlow	Stow
People
Population	855Lowest	7,165Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	52.8±11.7Highest 36% above U.S.	44.1±4.4Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Marlow and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stow and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	30.5%±5.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stow and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,455±$12kLowest 37% above U.S.	$185,809±$22kHighest 130% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$325,400±$49kLowest about the U.S. average	$729,600±$39kHighest 119% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,154±$160Lowest 18% below U.S.	$1,782±$126Highest 26% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,826Lowest 87% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	18.2%±95.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.7%±44.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stow and Marlow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minLowest 33% above U.S.	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.
Work from home	0.8%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	36.6%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#44 of 282 in MA
School district	Marlow 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.