What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the most expensive homes ($181k median).

Sangerville has the shortest commute (20 min average).

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	Waltham	Sangerville
People
Population	346Lowest	1,136Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-2.8% ME: +2.6%
Median age	56.4±9.3Highest 26% above ME	53.9±6.9Lowest 20% above ME
	Waltham and Sangerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15%±8.1Highest ME: 18.1%	14.1%±4.6Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Waltham and Sangerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.9%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%	24.1%±4Lowest ME: 22.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	12.6%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	3.9%±3.2Highest ME: 5.8%
	Sangerville and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,071±$14kHighest 5% below ME	$50,313±$14kLowest 33% below ME
	Waltham and Sangerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$181,300±$22kHighest 39% below ME	$124,000±$40kLowest 58% below ME
	Waltham and Sangerville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$567 25% below ME	$850±$136 25% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,452Highest 52% below ME	$1,349Lowest 56% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	15%±96.7Lowest ME: 48.4%	42.6%±27.7Highest ME: 48.4%
	Sangerville and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	13.5%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	82.4%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME	1976Lowest 1 yr older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	41 minHighest 67% above ME	20 minLowest 18% below ME
Work from home	13.4%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.7%±6.9Highest ME: 15.9%
	Sangerville and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.