What stands out worked out from the figures below

Walpole has the most people working from home (28.2%).

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Walpole	Thomaston
People
Population	26,388Highest	7,492Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.6% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	40.9±1.2Lowest 5% above U.S.	41.5±7.7Highest 7% above U.S.
	Thomaston and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.1%±2.4Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Walpole and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thomaston and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	67.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$171,500±$16kHighest 112% above U.S.	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$687,100±$20kHighest 107% above U.S.	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,205±$222Highest 56% above U.S.	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,523Highest 173% above U.S.	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.8%±9.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Walpole are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 27% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	28.2%±4.3Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#107 of 282 in MA	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	Norfolk County Agricultural · Walpole	Thomaston School District
High school in town	Walpole High	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.