What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the most kids (21% under 18).

Kingston has the most people working from home (15.7%).

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	Townsend	Kingston
People
Population	9,100Highest	6,275Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+2.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	55.5±5.7Highest 43% above U.S.
Kids under 18	21%±3.2Highest U.S.: 22%	13.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	24.7%±6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Kingston 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%	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.6%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Kingston 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.	$105,330±$12kLowest 30% above U.S.
	Townsend and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kLowest 30% above U.S.	$492,900±$58kHighest 48% above U.S.
	Kingston and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,393±$156Lowest about the U.S. average
	Townsend and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Lowest 93% above U.S.	$7,906Highest 153% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.9%±46.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	34 minLowest 29% above U.S.
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	15.7%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Kingston and Townsend are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#136 of 282 in MA	#78 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Sanborn Regional School District
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Sanborn Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

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.