What stands out worked out from the figures below

Sprague has the most affordable homes ($274k 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	Sprague	Lancaster
People
Population	2,962Lowest	8,606Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+4.8% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	48.5±10.7Highest 25% above U.S.	43.1±4.9Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Sprague and Lancaster 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%	19.2%±4Highest U.S.: 22%
	Lancaster and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.9%±3.9 U.S.: 17.2%	19.9%±4.2 U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	19.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	50.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0.6%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Lancaster and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$92,850±$11kLowest 15% above U.S.	$134,833±$27kHighest 67% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$273,500±$17kLowest 18% below U.S.	$519,100±$60kHighest 56% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,247±$144Lowest 12% below U.S.	$2,338±$539Highest 65% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,668Lowest 50% above U.S.	$7,235Highest 132% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.9%±12.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	68.3%±36.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lancaster and Sprague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	1.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	85.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Lowest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 12% above U.S.	32 minHighest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	5%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	33.6%±9.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#141 of 149 in CT	#145 of 282 in MA
School district	Sprague School District	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.