What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oakham has the most affordable homes ($420k median).

Ipswich has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.6%).

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	Oakham	Ipswich
People
Population	1,639Lowest	13,930Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49±2.3Highest 23% above MA	47.2±3.5Lowest 18% above MA
	Oakham and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.9%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Ipswich and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.9%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	Ipswich and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	60.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Ipswich and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,000±$20kLowest about the MA average	$138,750±$16kHighest 33% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$420,100±$20kLowest 25% below MA	$745,400±$40kHighest 33% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$81Lowest 33% below MA	$1,598±$90Highest 9% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,103Lowest 32% below MA	$7,960Highest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.8%±69.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.5%±12.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Ipswich and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest MA: 10%	5.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA	1964Lowest same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 32% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	9.6%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	18.9%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#101 of 282 in MA
School district	Quabbin	Ipswich
High school in town	None in town	Ipswich High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	9.0
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.