What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($192k median).

Andover has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.1%).

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	Springfield	Andover
People
Population	9,084Lowest	36,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+10.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±3.7Highest 11% above U.S.	42.9±1Lowest 10% above U.S.
	Springfield and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.6%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Andover and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	23.6%±3.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.3%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	8.1%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,571±$13kLowest 18% below U.S.	$172,606±$16kHighest 114% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$192,400±$20kLowest 42% below U.S.	$855,600±$22kHighest 157% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$963±$100Lowest 32% below U.S.	$2,201±$129Highest 56% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,807Lowest 54% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.6%±15.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	39.7%±7.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Springfield and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	14.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	79.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1973Highest 7 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 3% above U.S.	29 minHighest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	15.1%±5.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	30.4%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#64 of 70 in VT	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	River Valley Technical Center · Springfield School District	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Springfield High School	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	12.8Lowest
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.