What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has grown the fastest since 2010 (+2.3%).

Fair Haven has the most affordable homes ($177k 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	Townsend	Fair Haven
People
Population	9,100Highest	2,724Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Highest 5% above U.S.	39.2±7.6Lowest about the U.S. average
	Townsend and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	19.4%±5.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.4%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Fair Haven and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Fair Haven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$121,528±$23kHighest 51% above U.S.	$62,404±$16kLowest 23% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.	$176,500±$14kLowest 47% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$830±$116Lowest 41% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.	$3,865Lowest 24% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	50.9%±20.9Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Fair Haven and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	18.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	80.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	31 minLowest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.3%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 282 in MA	#66 of 70 in VT
School district	North Middlesex	Slate Valley Unified Union School District #62
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Fair Haven Union Middle and High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

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.