What stands out worked out from the figures below

Maynard has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6.3%).

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Maynard	Dalton
People
Population	10,712Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±4.3Lowest 13% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Dalton and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Maynard and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,067±$16kHighest 19% above MA	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$527,400±$31kHighest 6% below MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,800±$148Highest about the MA average	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,266Highest 38% above MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±9.6Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Maynard and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest MA: 10%	7.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 9% above MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	22.9%±7.7Highest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Maynard and Dalton 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	#166 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Maynard	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Maynard High	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	10.9Highest
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.