What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Roxbury has the highest household income ($69k).

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	Roxbury
People
Population	535Highest	299Lowest
Median age	57±10.5Highest 47% above U.S.	43.2±17.7Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Stow and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.7%±5.7Highest U.S.: 22%	14.7%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Stow and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.9%±17.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.4%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Stow and Roxbury 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 U.S.: 35.7%	30.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	13.4%±15.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Roxbury and Stow 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 48% below U.S.	$69,226±$14kHighest 14% below U.S.
	Roxbury 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 about the U.S. average	$323,100±$219kLowest about the U.S. average
	Stow and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,304Lowest 6% above U.S.	$5,787Highest 86% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±100Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stow and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	95.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1998Highest 18 yrs newer than U.S.	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	51 minHighest 95% above U.S.	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.
Work from home	17.7%±12Highest U.S.: 15.1%	0.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
On TownTapestry
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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.