What stands out worked out from the figures below

West Springfield Town has the most affordable homes ($322k median).

Windham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+16.4%).

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 Springfield Town	Windham
People
Population	28,772Highest	16,038Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+16.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±2.6Lowest 3% above U.S.	41.1±2.9Highest 6% above U.S.
	Windham and West Springfield Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.4%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.5%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.5%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	West Springfield Town and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.7%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.8Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	West Springfield Town and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,371±$7kLowest 14% below U.S.	$189,583±$19kHighest 135% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$321,500±$16kLowest 3% below U.S.	$723,300±$50kHighest 117% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$68Lowest 19% below U.S.	$3,218±$350Highest 128% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,380Lowest 40% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.1%±9.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	52.2%±50.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	West Springfield Town and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	11.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	58.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	93.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1958Lowest 22 yrs older than U.S.	1996Highest 16 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.	31 minHighest 17% above U.S.
Work from home	10.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.9%±4.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#218 of 282 in MA	#13 of 120 in NH
School district	West Springfield	Windham School District
High school in town	West Springfield High	Windham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Highest	12.8Lowest
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.