What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Thomaston
People
Population	36,873Highest	7,492Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.3±1.4Highest 11% above U.S.	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Natick and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±1.9Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Natick and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.6%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Natick and Thomaston 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%	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Natick 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.	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$821,000±$25kHighest 147% above U.S.	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,134±$124Highest 51% above U.S.	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,914Highest 186% above U.S.	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.7%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Natick 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%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	77.7%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	25.1%±1.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#48 of 282 in MA	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	Natick	Thomaston School District
High school in town	Natick High	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.6Highest	10.7Lowest
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.