What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stow has the most people working from home (17.7%).

Lowell has the shortest commute (31 min average).

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	Lowell
People
Population	535Highest	378Lowest
Median age	57±10.5Highest 27% above ME	55.5±8.6Lowest 24% above ME
	Stow and Lowell 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%	13.2%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Stow and Lowell 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%	31.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Stow and Lowell 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%	30%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.2Highest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±1.9Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Stow and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$42,204±$22kLowest 44% below ME	$50,833±$31kHighest 32% below ME
	Lowell and Stow 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	$209,700±$30kLowest 29% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,304Highest 9% above ME	$1,478Lowest 51% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Lowell 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%	10.8%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	88.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1998Highest 21 yrs newer than ME	1990Lowest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	51 minHighest 109% above ME	31 minLowest 24% above ME
Work from home	17.7%±12Highest ME: 15.9%	10.8%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Stow and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
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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.