What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Rowley has the most expensive homes ($667k 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	Rowley
People
Population	5,002Lowest	6,251Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±3.3Lowest 4% above MA	50±6.3Highest 25% above MA
	Rowley 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%	19.3%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Rowley 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%	21.6%±4.1Highest MA: 17.9%
	Rowley 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	56.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.9%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%	4.8%±2.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$134,083±$8kHighest 29% above MA	$132,734±$32kLowest 28% above MA
	Paxton and Rowley are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$472,300±$29kLowest 16% below MA	$667,300±$52kHighest 19% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,386±$88Lowest 21% below MA	$1,603±$520Highest 9% below MA
	Rowley and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,129Lowest 19% above MA	$8,309Highest 39% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.2%±15.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.7%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Rowley and Paxton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.4%Lowest MA: 10%	3.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	81.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	28 minLowest 3% below MA
Work from home	25.5%±5.1Highest MA: 18.6%	11.1%±4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#219 of 282 in MA	#214 of 282 in MA
School district	Wachusett	Triton
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.