What stands out worked out from the figures below

Norton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

Townsend has the most expensive homes ($433k 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	Norton	Townsend
People
Population	108Lowest	9,100Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+2.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	53.8±6.7Highest 38% above U.S.	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13%±21.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.5%±15.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Norton and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±10.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Norton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,625±$23kLowest 19% below U.S.	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$200,000±$32kLowest 40% below U.S.	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,469±$313 4% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,769Lowest 11% below U.S.	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	50.6%±16.8 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	13%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	82%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 49% above U.S.	37 minLowest 41% above U.S.
Work from home	25.5%±18Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Norton and Townsend 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	—	#136 of 282 in MA
School district	—	North Middlesex
High school in town	—	North Middlesex Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.1
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.