What stands out worked out from the figures below

Southampton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.5%).

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	Southampton	Lancaster
People
Population	6,230Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.4±3.5Highest 9% above MA	43.1±4.9Lowest 8% above MA
	Southampton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.1%±4Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.2%±4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Lancaster and Southampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±4.8Highest MA: 17.9%	19.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Southampton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	50.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.7%±2.2Highest MA: 7.9%	3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Southampton and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$123,125±$23kLowest 18% above MA	$134,833±$27kHighest 30% above MA
	Lancaster and Southampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$452,300±$25kLowest 20% below MA	$519,100±$60kHighest 8% below MA
	Lancaster and Southampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$2,338±$539 33% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,470Lowest 9% below MA	$7,235Highest 21% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.2%±18.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.3%±36.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lancaster and Southampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.6%Highest MA: 10%	1.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA	1971Lowest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 23% below MA	32 minHighest 9% above MA
Work from home	8.2%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.6%±9.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#205 of 282 in MA	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Southampton	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.