What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most expensive homes ($599k median).

Westminster has the most people working from home (12.5%).

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	Rochester	Westminster
People
Population	5,837Lowest	8,374Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±6Lowest 16% above MA	48.3±4.6Highest 21% above MA
	Westminster and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.3%±4.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Westminster and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.1%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	26%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Westminster and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	45.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Rochester and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$120,273±$12kHighest 16% above MA	$106,331±$22kLowest about the MA average
	Rochester and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$599,100±$31kHighest 7% above MA	$422,000±$36kLowest 25% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,432±$743Lowest 19% below MA	$1,843±$268Highest 5% above MA
	Westminster and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,530Highest 9% above MA	$4,973Lowest 17% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	60%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%
	Westminster and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest MA: 10%	2.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	87.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA	1977Lowest 13 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 25% above MA	27 minLowest 7% below MA
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	12.5%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%
	Westminster and Rochester 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	#104 of 282 in MA	#112 of 282 in MA
School district	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester	Ashburnham-Westminster
High school in town	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical	Oakmont Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Lowest	13.6Highest
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.