What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sprague has the most affordable homes ($274k median).

Ayer has the most people working from home (21.6%).

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	Sprague	Ayer
People
Population	2,962Lowest	8,645Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+14.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.5±10.7Highest 25% above U.S.	39.2±2.8Lowest about the U.S. average
	Sprague and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±5.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	20.3%±3.9Highest U.S.: 22%
	Ayer and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.9%±3.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%	14.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Sprague and Ayer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	42.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.5%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,850±$11kLowest 15% above U.S.	$101,875±$15kHighest 26% above U.S.
	Ayer and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,500±$17kLowest 18% below U.S.	$463,800±$29kHighest 39% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,247±$144Lowest 12% below U.S.	$1,415±$180Highest about the U.S. average
	Ayer and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,668Lowest 50% above U.S.	$5,057Highest 62% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.9%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	45.1%±14.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Ayer and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.
Work from home	5%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#141 of 149 in CT	#113 of 282 in MA
School district	Sprague School District	Ayer Shirley School District
High school in town	None in town	Ayer Shirley Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.5
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.