What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.5%).

Monson has the most people working from home (10.7%).

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	Palmer Town	Monson
People
Population	12,381Highest	8,136Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	-4.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6 20% above MA	47.8±3.2 20% above MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.1%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Monson and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.2%±3.8Highest MA: 17.9%
	Monson and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	29.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.3%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9%
	Monson and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA	$96,688±$14kHighest 7% below MA
	Monson and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA	$348,400±$15kHighest 38% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Highest 39% below MA	$871±$215Lowest 51% below MA
	Palmer Town and Monson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Lowest 24% below MA	$4,877Highest 19% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Highest MA: 51.8%	48.9%±13.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Palmer Town and Monson are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Lowest MA: 10%	8.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1970Highest 6 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 8% above MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	10.7%±7.5Highest MA: 18.6%
	Monson and Palmer Town 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	#252 of 282 in MA	#235 of 282 in MA
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	Monson
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	Monson High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Highest	8.2Lowest
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.