What stands out worked out from the figures below

Shelburne has the highest household income ($93k).

Stow has the most people working from home (17.7%).

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	Shelburne	Stow
People
Population	530Lowest	535Highest
Median age	50.3±11Lowest 29% above U.S.	57±10.5Highest 47% above U.S.
	Stow and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.3%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	15.7%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%
	Stow and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.7%±5.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	37.9%±17.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stow and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	33.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±4.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Shelburne and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$93,125±$18kHighest 15% above U.S.	$42,204±$22kLowest 48% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$280,200±$45kLowest 16% below U.S.	$326,400±$42kHighest about the U.S. average
	Stow and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,130±$62 20% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,801Highest 22% above U.S.	$3,304Lowest 6% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	10%±70.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	20%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stow and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1998Highest 18 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 5% below U.S.	51 minHighest 95% above U.S.
Work from home	9.3%±6.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	17.7%±12Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Stow and Shelburne are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.