What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northborough has the most affordable homes ($620k median).

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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	Windham
People
Population	15,750Lowest	16,038Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45±3Highest 16% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Lowest 6% above U.S.
	Northborough and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.6%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Windham 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 U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Northborough and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Northborough and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,199±$19kLowest 90% above U.S.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
	Windham and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$620,000±$24kLowest 86% above U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,919±$269Lowest 36% above U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,983Lowest 156% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.1%±16.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest same as U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	22.5%±5.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Northborough and Windham 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	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	Northborough · Northboro-Southboro	Windham School District
High school in town	Algonquin Regional High	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	12.8Highest
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.