What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Stow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.9%).

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	Otis	Stow
People
Population	1,624Lowest	7,165Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	51±3.2Highest 28% above MA	44.1±4.4Lowest 10% above MA
	Otis and Stow 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%	22.3%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Stow 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%	19.1%±3.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	75.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
	Stow 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	$185,809±$22kHighest 79% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$396,700±$40kLowest 29% below MA	$729,600±$39kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,318±$924Lowest 25% below MA	$1,782±$126Highest about the MA average
	Stow 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	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.3%±100Highest MA: 51.8%	59.7%±44.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Otis and Stow 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%	5.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	85.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974 10 yrs newer than MA	1974 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minLowest 15% above MA	36 minHighest 23% above MA
Work from home	22.3%±7.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.6%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#44 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.