What stands out worked out from the figures below

Paxton has the most people working from home (25.5%).

Hardwick has the most affordable homes ($347k median).

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	Paxton	Hardwick
People
Population	5,002Highest	2,684Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	-10.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±3.3Lowest 4% above MA	45.3±9.8Highest 13% above MA
	Hardwick and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.4%±3.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.5%±5.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Hardwick and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.4%±3.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.7%±5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Hardwick and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	30.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.9%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%	6.2%±4.4Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,083±$8kHighest 29% above MA	$75,000±$22kLowest 28% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,300±$29kHighest 16% below MA	$346,700±$67kLowest 38% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,386±$88Highest 21% below MA	$1,108±$119Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,129Highest 19% above MA	$4,400Lowest 27% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.2%±15.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	59%±13.8Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest MA: 10%	11%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	31 minHighest 7% above MA
Work from home	25.5%±5.1Highest MA: 18.6%	8.7%±4.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#219 of 282 in MA	#163 of 282 in MA
School district	Wachusett	Quabbin
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.