What stands out worked out from the figures below

Townsend has the most expensive homes ($433k median).

Rochester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.2%).

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	Rochester
People
Population	9,100Lowest	33,144Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.2%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.9±3.3Lowest 5% above U.S.	43±1.8Highest 11% above U.S.
	Rochester and Townsend 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%	18.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Townsend and Rochester 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%	19.6%±1.9Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Rochester 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%	27.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Townsend and Rochester 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.	$80,836±$3kLowest about the U.S. average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$433,200±$22kHighest 30% above U.S.	$279,100±$10kLowest 16% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,469±$313Highest 4% above U.S.	$1,369±$72Lowest 3% below U.S.
	Townsend and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,031Highest 93% above U.S.	$5,334Lowest 71% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.6%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	46.3%±7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Townsend and Rochester 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%	8.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	66%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Lowest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 41% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	10.5%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	11.8%±2.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Rochester 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	#98 of 120 in NH
School district	North Middlesex	Rochester School District
High school in town	North Middlesex Regional	Spaulding High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	13.2Highest
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.