What stands out worked out from the figures below

Montague has the most people working from home (14.9%).

Webster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+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	Montague	Webster
People
Population	8,482Lowest	17,748Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±3.1Highest 11% above MA	39.9±2.9Lowest about the MA average
	Montague and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19%±2.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.5%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Montague and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.8%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,510±$12kLowest 32% below MA	$72,895±$6kHighest 30% below MA
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,100±$17kLowest 50% below MA	$361,500±$12kHighest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$115Lowest 31% below MA	$1,228±$81Highest 30% below MA
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,922Lowest 35% below MA	$3,999Highest 33% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	11.5%Lowest MA: 10%	12.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	59.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 28% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	14.9%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#265 of 282 in MA	#271 of 282 in MA
School district	Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical · Gill-Montague	Webster
High school in town	Franklin County Technical	Bartlett High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.7Highest	11.6Lowest
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.