What stands out worked out from the figures below

Otis has the most affordable homes ($397k median).

Lancaster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+4.8%).

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	Otis	Lancaster
People
Population	1,624Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	51±3.2Highest 28% above MA	43.1±4.9Lowest 8% above MA
	Otis and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±4.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.2%±4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Lancaster and Otis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	28%±3.1Highest MA: 17.9%	19.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	50.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Lancaster and Otis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$108,898±$6kLowest 5% above MA	$134,833±$27kHighest 30% above MA
	Lancaster and Otis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$396,700±$40kLowest 29% below MA	$519,100±$60kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,318±$924Lowest 25% below MA	$2,338±$539Highest 33% above MA
	Lancaster and Otis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,408Lowest 60% below MA	$7,235Highest 21% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.3%±100Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.3%±36.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lancaster and Otis are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.2%Lowest MA: 10%	1.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 15% above MA	32 minLowest 9% above MA
Work from home	22.3%±7.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.6%±9.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	Lancaster and Otis 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	—	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Farmington River Reg	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.