What stands out worked out from the figures below

Webster has the most affordable homes ($339k median).

Stow has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.9%).

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	Stow
People
Population	2,227Lowest	7,165Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+8.9%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.7±7.6Highest 15% above U.S.	44.1±4.4Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Webster and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.6%±8Highest U.S.: 22%	22.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Webster and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.4%±1.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.1%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Webster and Stow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	75.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.4Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Stow and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,171±$14kLowest 33% above U.S.	$185,809±$22kHighest 130% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$338,500±$30kLowest about the U.S. average	$729,600±$39kHighest 119% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,396±$622Lowest about the U.S. average	$1,782±$126Highest 26% above U.S.
	Stow and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,021Lowest 93% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.6%±71Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	59.7%±44.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Stow and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	9.6%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	96%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	85.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 16% above U.S.	36 minHighest 35% above U.S.
Work from home	17.1%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	36.6%±6.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#44 of 282 in MA
School district	Merrimack Valley School District	Nashoba
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.