What stands out worked out from the figures below

Roxbury has the most expensive homes ($715k median).

Lancaster has the most people working from home (33.6%).

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	Roxbury	Lancaster
People
Population	2,185Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	54.7±1.8Highest 41% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	14.3%±4Lowest U.S.: 22%	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31%±5.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±3.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Roxbury and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,864±$27kLowest 53% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$714,500±$77kHighest 115% above U.S.	$519,100±$60kLowest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,713±$418Lowest 21% above U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
	Lancaster and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,591Lowest 111% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	61.5%±48.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 39% above U.S.	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	17.4%±6.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Regional School District 12	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.