What stands out worked out from the figures below

Natick has the most people working from home (25.1%).

Oxford has the most affordable homes ($472k 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	Natick	Oxford
People
Population	36,873Highest	12,991Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.3±1.4Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.2±5.7Highest 16% above U.S.
	Oxford and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.3%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Oxford and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	22.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Oxford and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	70.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	46.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Natick and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,538±$11kHighest 72% above U.S.	$128,953±$23kLowest 60% above U.S.
	Natick and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$821,000±$25kHighest 147% above U.S.	$472,400±$20kLowest 42% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,134±$124Highest 51% above U.S.	$1,415±$87Lowest about the U.S. average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,914Highest 186% above U.S.	$6,442Lowest 107% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±6.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	23.3%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Natick and Oxford 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%	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	30 minLowest 14% above U.S.
Work from home	25.1%±1.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	14.4%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 282 in MA	#78 of 149 in CT
School district	Natick	Oxford School District
High school in town	Natick High	Oxford High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	10.1Lowest
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.