What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stow has the highest household income ($186k).

Meredith has the most affordable homes ($480k 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	Stow	Meredith
People
Population	7,165Highest	6,758Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+6.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±4.4Lowest 13% above U.S.	55.5±3.7Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	22.3%±4.1Highest U.S.: 22%	12.6%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	34.2%±5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	45.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	2.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stow and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$185,809±$22kHighest 130% above U.S.	$87,019±$19kLowest 8% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$729,600±$39kHighest 119% above U.S.	$480,100±$48kLowest 44% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,782±$126Highest 26% above U.S.	$1,149±$304Lowest 19% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$5,006Lowest 61% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.7%±44.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.5%±9.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stow and Meredith are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	36.6%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	23.7%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#44 of 282 in MA	#62 of 120 in NH
School district	Nashoba	Inter-Lakes Cooperative School District
High school in town	None in town	Inter-Lakes High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.1
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.