What stands out worked out from the figures below

Oxford has the most affordable homes ($472k median).

Stoneham has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	Oxford	Stoneham
People
Population	12,991Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.2±5.7Highest 16% above U.S.	42.2±2.2Lowest 8% above U.S.
	Oxford and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±4.7Highest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Oxford and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Oxford and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stoneham and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$128,953±$23kHighest 60% above U.S.	$113,964±$10kLowest 41% above U.S.
	Oxford and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,400±$20kLowest 42% above U.S.	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,415±$87Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,442Lowest 107% above U.S.	$6,523Highest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	23.3%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stoneham and Oxford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 14% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	14.4%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#78 of 149 in CT	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	Oxford School District	Stoneham
High school in town	Oxford High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Lowest	10.7Highest
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.