What stands out worked out from the figures below

Spencer has the most people working from home (15%).

Palmer Town has the most affordable homes ($271k median).

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	Palmer Town
People
Population	12,008Lowest	12,381Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.9±6.8Highest 22% above MA	47.8±5.6Lowest 20% above MA
	Spencer and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±3.1Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Spencer and Palmer Town 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%	20.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Spencer and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	29.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±2.4Highest MA: 7.9%	3.4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Spencer and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,533±$11kHighest 23% below MA	$78,480±$8kLowest 25% below MA
	Spencer and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$382,000±$22kHighest 32% below MA	$271,400±$21kLowest 52% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,078±$161Highest 39% below MA	$1,075±$103Lowest 39% below MA
	Spencer and Palmer Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,387Lowest 27% below MA	$4,540Highest 24% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±10.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	52.9%±10.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Palmer Town 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%	8.3%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63%Lowest MA: 62.5%	71.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 18% above MA	31 minLowest 8% above MA
Work from home	15%±7.3Highest MA: 18.6%	7.3%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Spencer and Palmer Town 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	#261 of 282 in MA	#252 of 282 in MA
School district	Spencer-E Brookfield	Palmer · Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	David Prouty High	Pathfinder Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	9.9	9.9
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.