What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Sharon has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.9%).

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	Sharon
People
Population	1,639Highest	1,577Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49±2.3Highest 26% above U.S.	45.6±7.7Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Oakham and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	21%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Sharon 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 U.S.: 17.2%	25.1%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sharon 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%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	37.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.5%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Oakham and Sharon 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 26% above U.S.	$84,375±$17kLowest 5% above U.S.
	Oakham and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$420,100±$20kHighest 26% above U.S.	$346,700±$37kLowest 4% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$81Lowest 17% below U.S.	$1,386±$155Highest about the U.S. average
	Sharon 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% above U.S.	$5,903Highest 89% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.8%±69.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	19.8%±17.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Oakham and Sharon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	79.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Lowest 1 yr older than U.S.	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 46% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	9.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	12.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Sharon and Oakham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Quabbin	Sharon School District
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.