What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.9%).

Webster has the most affordable homes ($339k 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	Webster
People
Population	7,165Highest	2,227Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±4.4Lowest 13% above U.S.	44.7±7.6Highest 15% above U.S.
	Webster and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	22.6%±8Highest U.S.: 22%
	Webster and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.4%±1.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Webster and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	30.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stow and Webster 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.	$107,171±$14kLowest 33% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$729,600±$39kHighest 119% above U.S.	$338,500±$30kLowest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,782±$126Highest 26% above U.S.	$1,396±$622Lowest about the U.S. average
	Stow and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$6,021Lowest 93% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.7%±44.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	53.6%±71Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stow and Webster 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%	9.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	96%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	36.6%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%	17.1%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#44 of 282 in MA	—
School district	Nashoba	Merrimack Valley School District
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.