What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Winchester has the most expensive homes ($1215k 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	Winchester
People
Population	24,690Highest	23,406Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+7.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±1.2Highest 7% above MA	42.5±1.9Lowest 6% above MA
	Westford and Winchester 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%	27.6%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Winchester 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%	18%±2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Winchester and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	73.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	79.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Westford and Winchester 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	$230,198±$21kHighest 121% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$748,500±$32kLowest 33% above MA	$1,215,200±$39kHighest 116% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,436±$422Highest 38% above MA	$2,279±$481Lowest 29% above MA
	Westford and Winchester 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%±8Highest MA: 51.8%	39.3%±13.3Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Westford and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%	4.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.9%Highest MA: 62.5%	81.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 19 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 6% above MA	31 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	27%±2.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	33.8%±3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 282 in MA	#11 of 282 in MA
School district	Nashoba Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Westford	Winchester
High school in town	Westford Academy	Winchester High School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Lowest	14.8Highest
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.