What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.3%).

Carlisle has the most expensive homes ($1104k median).

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	Westford	Carlisle
People
Population	24,690Highest	5,239Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+7.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±1.2Lowest 7% above MA	45.3±3.1Highest 13% above MA
	Carlisle and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	25.6%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	26.4%±5.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Carlisle and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	14.6%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.7%±3.4Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	73.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	87.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Westford and Carlisle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$187,198±$10kLowest 80% above MA	$250,001Highest 140% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$748,500±$32kLowest 33% above MA	$1,103,900±$46kHighest 96% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,436±$422Highest 38% above MA	$1,313±$855Lowest 25% below MA
	Westford and Carlisle are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,695Lowest 62% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53%±8Lowest MA: 51.8%	77%±21.4Highest MA: 51.8%
	Carlisle and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Highest MA: 10%	1.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%	93.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA	1976Lowest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	35 minHighest 21% above MA
Work from home	27%±2.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	38.5%±8.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 282 in MA	#24 of 282 in MA
School district	Nashoba Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Westford	Carlisle
High school in town	Westford Academy	None in town
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7	—
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.