What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.2%).

Shrewsbury has the most people working from home (26.3%).

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	Northborough	Shrewsbury
People
Population	15,750Lowest	38,876Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±3Highest 13% above MA	40.6±1.5Lowest about the MA average
	Northborough and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±2.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.2%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Shrewsbury and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±2.3Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±1.4Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northborough and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	65.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northborough and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,199±$19kHighest 47% above MA	$139,302±$11kLowest 34% above MA
	Northborough and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$620,000±$24kHighest 10% above MA	$592,300±$20kLowest 5% above MA
	Northborough and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,919±$269Lowest 9% above MA	$2,116±$98Highest 20% above MA
	Shrewsbury and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,983Highest 33% above MA	$6,923Lowest 16% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.1%±16.3Highest MA: 51.8%	44.2%±6.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northborough and Shrewsbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7% MA: 10%	3.7% MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	72.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1979Lowest 15 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	31 minLowest 6% above MA
Work from home	22.5%±5.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	26.3%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Shrewsbury and Northborough 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	#35 of 282 in MA	#30 of 282 in MA
School district	Northborough · Northboro-Southboro	Shrewsbury
High school in town	Algonquin Regional High	Shrewsbury High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	14.4Highest
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.