What stands out worked out from the figures below

Spencer has the most affordable homes ($382k 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	Spencer	Lancaster
People
Population	12,008Highest	8,606Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.9±6.8Highest 22% above MA	43.1±4.9Lowest 8% above MA
	Spencer and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.2%±4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Lancaster and Spencer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±4.4Highest MA: 17.9%	19.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Spencer and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	50.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%	3%±1.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Spencer and Lancaster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,533±$11kLowest 23% below MA	$134,833±$27kHighest 30% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$382,000±$22kLowest 32% below MA	$519,100±$60kHighest 8% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,078±$161Lowest 39% below MA	$2,338±$539Highest 33% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,387Lowest 27% below MA	$7,235Highest 21% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±10.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	68.3%±36.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Lancaster and Spencer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11%Highest MA: 10%	1.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA	1971Highest 7 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 18% above MA	32 minLowest 9% above MA
Work from home	15%±7.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.6%±9.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#261 of 282 in MA	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Spencer-E Brookfield	Nashoba
High school in town	David Prouty High	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9	—
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.