What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oakham has the most people working from home (9.6%).

New Braintree has grown the fastest since 2010 (-0.3%).

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	Oakham	New Braintree
People
Population	1,639Highest	973Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	-0.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	49±2.3Highest 23% above MA	47.8±4.6Lowest 20% above MA
	Oakham and New Braintree 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%	20%±4.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	New Braintree 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%	25.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	New Braintree 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%	41.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Oakham and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,000±$20kHighest about the MA average	$99,500±$8kLowest 4% below MA
	Oakham and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$420,100±$20kHighest 25% below MA	$408,800±$27kLowest 27% below MA
	Oakham and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$81Lowest 33% below MA	$1,484±$316Highest 16% below MA
	New Braintree and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,103Lowest 32% below MA	$5,508Highest 8% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.8%±69.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±51.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	New Braintree 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%	7.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	89.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 15 yrs newer than MA	1987Highest 23 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 32% above MA	37 minLowest 26% above MA
Work from home	9.6%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%	7.4%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Oakham and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Quabbin	Quabbin
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.