What stands out worked out from the figures below

Webster has the most renters (54.5% rent).

Wendell has the most people working from home (16.8%).

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	Webster	Wendell
People
Population	12,228Highest	850Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	37.2±2.1Lowest 7% below MA	47.1±8.8Highest 18% above MA
	Wendell and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.8%±3.6Highest MA: 19.4%	16%±3.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Webster and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.7%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.7%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Wendell and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	18.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	51.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%	5.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Webster and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$63,837±$8kLowest 39% below MA	$65,288±$14kHighest 37% below MA
	Wendell and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$333,100±$14kHighest 41% below MA	$290,300±$31kLowest 48% below MA
	Webster and Wendell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,198±$85Lowest 32% below MA	$1,239±$519Highest 30% below MA
	Wendell and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,234Lowest 46% below MA	$4,519Highest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.1%±7.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.6%±40.8Highest MA: 51.8%
	Wendell and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16%Lowest MA: 10%	21.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	45.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA	1981Highest 17 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% below MA	33 minHighest 13% above MA
Work from home	7.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	16.8%±7.8Highest MA: 18.6%
	Wendell and Webster 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	#271 of 282 in MA	—
School district	—	New Salem-Wendell
High school in town	—	None in town
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.