What stands out worked out from the figures below

Reading has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.1%).

Winchendon has the most affordable homes ($324k 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	Reading	Winchendon
People
Population	25,612Highest	10,440Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+0.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA	39.6±1.9Lowest about the MA average
	Reading and Winchendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%	21.8%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Reading and Winchendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±2.3Highest MA: 17.9%	16.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Reading and Winchendon are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.3%Highest MA: 47.3%	21.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.5%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Winchendon and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$165,912±$13kHighest 60% above MA	$75,690±$14kLowest 27% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$809,000±$22kHighest 44% above MA	$323,800±$19kLowest 42% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,991±$273Highest 13% above MA	$1,255±$163Lowest 29% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,320Highest 56% above MA	$3,780Lowest 37% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	61.7%±17.6Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%	18.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	76.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%	11.2%±3.1Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 282 in MA	#269 of 282 in MA
School district	Reading	Winchendon
High school in town	Reading Memorial High	Murdock High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.3Lowest
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.