What stands out worked out from the figures below

Webster has the most affordable homes ($362k median).

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Harvard
People
Population	17,748Highest	6,927Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.9±2.9Lowest about the MA average	44.1±4.7Highest 10% above MA
	Harvard 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%	21.1%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Harvard 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%	16.3%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Webster and Harvard 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%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Webster and Harvard 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	$213,996±$24kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA	$833,600±$54kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA	$1,321±$424Highest 25% below MA
	Harvard 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	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	72.5%±51.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Harvard and Webster 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%	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	89.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 5% above MA	32 minHighest 9% above MA
Work from home	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	44.8%±6.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#271 of 282 in MA	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Webster	Harvard
High school in town	Bartlett High School	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Highest	11.0Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	12 photos →

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.