What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Boylston has the most affordable homes ($440k median).

Shrewsbury has grown the fastest since 2010 (+7.6%).

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	West Boylston	Shrewsbury
People
Population	7,782Lowest	38,876Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.5±2.7Highest 14% above MA	40.6±1.5Lowest about the MA average
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.2%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	25.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±1.4Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	65.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,551±$12kLowest about the MA average	$139,302±$11kHighest 34% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$440,000±$24kLowest 22% below MA	$592,300±$20kHighest 5% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,261±$154Lowest 28% below MA	$2,116±$98Highest 20% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,115Lowest about the MA average	$6,923Highest 16% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.9%±12.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	44.2%±6.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Shrewsbury and West Boylston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	6.6%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	72.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1967Lowest 3 yrs newer than MA	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 14% below MA	31 minHighest 6% above MA
Work from home	17.7%±4.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	26.3%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#97 of 282 in MA	#30 of 282 in MA
School district	West Boylston	Shrewsbury
High school in town	West Boylston Junior/Senior High	Shrewsbury High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	14.4Highest
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.