What stands out worked out from the figures below

Palmer Town has the most homeowners (71.5%).

Worcester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.1%).

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	Worcester
People
Population	12,381Lowest	207,055Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+14.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.8±5.6Highest 20% above MA	33.9±0.5Lowest 15% below MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±0.8Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.9%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%	13.3%±0.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	35.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	14.1%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$78,480±$8kHighest 25% below MA	$70,102±$2kLowest 33% below MA
	Palmer Town and Worcester 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	$374,400±$7kHighest 33% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA	$1,487±$38Highest 16% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,540Lowest 24% below MA	$4,733Highest 21% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±10.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	54.2%±2.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Worcester and Palmer Town 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%	19.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	42.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 8% above MA	24 minLowest 17% below MA
Work from home	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	11.5%±1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#252 of 282 in MA	#266 of 282 in MA
School district	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical	Ma Academy for Math and Science · Worcester
High school in town	Pathfinder Vocational Technical	South High Community
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9Lowest	14.6Highest
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.