What stands out worked out from the figures below

Uxbridge has the highest household income ($125k).

Gardner has the most affordable homes ($302k 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	Uxbridge	Gardner
People
Population	14,473Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.2% MA: +7.4%	+5.2% MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2.8Lowest 4% above MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
	Gardner and Uxbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.5%±3.4Highest MA: 19.4%	18.3%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Uxbridge and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.1%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Gardner and Uxbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	38%Highest MA: 47.3%	23.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Gardner and Uxbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,725±$7kHighest 20% above MA	$67,518±$8kLowest 35% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$441,100±$25kHighest 22% below MA	$301,600±$20kLowest 46% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,555±$265Highest 12% below MA	$1,109±$51Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,836Highest about the MA average	$4,150Lowest 31% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.6%±5.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	49.7%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	3.6%Lowest MA: 10%	13.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	58.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 26% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	15.9%±3.8Highest MA: 18.6%	13.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Uxbridge and Gardner 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	#183 of 282 in MA	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Uxbridge	Gardner
High school in town	Uxbridge High	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	13.5Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.