What stands out worked out from the figures below

Warren has the most expensive homes ($334k median).

Springfield has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.9%).

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	Warren	Springfield
People
Population	5,009Lowest	154,749Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+1.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	38.7±7.3Highest 3% below MA	33.7±0.5Lowest 16% below MA
	Warren and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±8Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Springfield and Warren are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.6%±4.5Highest MA: 17.9%	13.2%±0.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Warren and Springfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	23.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	7.5%±0.5Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,082±$6kHighest 36% below MA	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$333,700±$35kHighest 41% below MA	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$890±$174Lowest 49% below MA	$1,144±$55Highest 35% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,530Highest 24% below MA	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.7%±18.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	9%Lowest MA: 10%	25.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.5%Highest MA: 62.5%	49.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 13% above MA	20 minLowest 31% below MA
Work from home	8.5%±5.4Highest MA: 18.6%	8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Warren and Springfield 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	#165 of 282 in MA	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Quaboag Regional	Springfield
High school in town	Quaboag Regional High	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.0Lowest	12.2Highest
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.