What stands out worked out from the figures below

Middleton has the most affordable homes ($312k median).

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	Middleton	Lancaster
People
Population	1,595Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.5±5.7Highest 12% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Middleton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.9%±2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Lancaster and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.2%±1.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Middleton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$101,696±$8kLowest 26% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Middleton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$312,300±$27kLowest 6% below U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,500±$293Lowest 6% above U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,504Lowest 76% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	83.3%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Middleton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 47% above U.S.	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	14.1%±5.4Lowest 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	Middleton 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.