What stands out worked out from the figures below

Stow has the most kids (15.7% under 18).

Stoneham has the most people working from home (40.7%).

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	Stoneham
People
Population	535Highest	271Lowest
Median age	57±10.5Lowest 27% above ME	60.6±7.1Highest 35% above ME
	Stoneham and Stow 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%	5.9%±7.9Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Stow and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	37.9%±17.8Lowest ME: 22.4%	41%±17.8Highest ME: 22.4%
	Stoneham and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	33.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%	37.8%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.2Lowest ME: 5.8%	14.8%±13.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Stoneham 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 44% below ME	$63,750±$27kHighest 15% below ME
	Stoneham 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	$226,200±$32kLowest 24% below ME
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,125±$383 about the ME average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,304Highest 9% above ME	$1,426Lowest 53% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	20%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%	66.7%±100Highest ME: 48.4%
	Stoneham and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.1%Highest ME: 10.7%	7.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	89.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1998Highest 21 yrs newer than ME	1983Lowest 6 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	51 minHighest 109% above ME	29 minLowest 18% above ME
Work from home	17.7%±12Lowest ME: 15.9%	40.7%±15.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Stoneham and Stow 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.