What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Montague has the most people working from home (14.9%).

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	Webster	Montague
People
Population	17,748Highest	8,482Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.9±2.9Lowest about the MA average	44.3±3.1Highest 11% above MA
	Montague and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.6%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%	19%±2.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.6%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.5%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Montague and Webster 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%	37.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.8%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,895±$6kHighest 30% below MA	$70,510±$12kLowest 32% below MA
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$361,500±$12kHighest 36% below MA	$282,100±$17kLowest 50% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,228±$81Highest 30% below MA	$1,207±$115Lowest 31% below MA
	Webster and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,999Highest 33% below MA	$3,922Lowest 35% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	12.7%Highest MA: 10%	11.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	62.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 5% above MA	21 minLowest 28% below MA
Work from home	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#271 of 282 in MA	#265 of 282 in MA
School district	Webster	Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical · Gill-Montague
High school in town	Bartlett High School	Franklin County Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	11.6Lowest	11.7Highest
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.