What stands out worked out from the figures below

Webster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Charlton has the most people working from home (13%).

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	Charlton
People
Population	17,748Highest	13,435Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.9±2.9Lowest about the MA average	43±4Highest 8% above MA
	Charlton and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.7%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Charlton and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	18%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Webster and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	37.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.8%±2.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Charlton and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,895±$6kLowest 30% below MA	$117,587±$8kHighest 13% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA	$427,500±$19kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA	$1,381±$415Highest 22% below MA
	Charlton and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,999Lowest 33% below MA	$4,617Highest 23% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	41.3%±9.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Webster and Charlton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest MA: 10%	2.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	84.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1985Highest 21 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	33 minHighest 13% above MA
Work from home	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	13%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%
	Charlton 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	#133 of 282 in MA
School district	Webster	Dudley-Charlton Reg · Southern Worcester County Regional Vocational School Distric
High school in town	Bartlett High School	Bay Path Regional Vocational Technical High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	9.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.