What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stow has the most expensive homes ($326k median).

Jackman has the most affordable homes ($173k 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	Jackman
People
Population	535Lowest	695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-9.3% ME: +2.6%
Median age	57±10.5Highest 27% above ME	54.2±5.7Lowest 21% above ME
	Stow and Jackman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±5.7Highest ME: 18.1%	11.5%±6.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Stow and Jackman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.9%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%	22.7%±6.1Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Stow and Jackman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Highest ME: 36.2%	28.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%	2.4%±3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Stow and Jackman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$42,204±$22kHighest 44% below ME	$33,625±$19kLowest 55% below ME
	Stow and Jackman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,400±$42kHighest 10% above ME	$172,700±$61kLowest 42% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$475±$143 58% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,304Highest 9% above ME	$1,492Lowest 51% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	57.1%±24.5Highest ME: 48.4%
	Jackman and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%	11.9%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1998Highest 21 yrs newer than ME	1974Lowest 3 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	51 minHighest 109% above ME	27 minLowest 11% above ME
Work from home	17.7%±12Highest ME: 15.9%	12.3%±6.9Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Stow and Jackman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

ME 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.