What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westford has grown the fastest since 2010 (+1.6%).

Newark has the most affordable homes ($230k 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	Newark
People
Population	2,290Highest	727Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.6%Highest VT: +2.8%	+0.5%Lowest VT: +2.8%
Median age	44.1±8.6Highest about the VT average	41.4±6Lowest 4% below VT
	Westford and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.6Lowest VT: 17.9%	22%±3Highest VT: 17.9%
	Newark and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±3.2Lowest VT: 21.4%	19.9%±5.1Highest VT: 21.4%
	Newark and Westford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	52.3%Highest VT: 43.8%	41%Lowest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.5%±4.6Highest VT: 7%	0.6%±0.6Lowest VT: 7%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$112,750±$12kHighest 39% above VT	$72,929±$7kLowest 10% below VT
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$424,500±$21kHighest 34% above VT	$229,900±$23kLowest 27% below VT
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,375±$1kHighest 92% above VT	$1,708±$97Lowest 38% above VT
	Westford and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,282Highest 25% above VT	$3,771Lowest 25% below VT
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.8%±31Highest VT: 48.4%	7.1%±100Lowest VT: 48.4%
	Westford and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.5%Lowest VT: 10.1%	22.4%Highest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.1%Lowest VT: 73.2%	90.8%Highest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 6 yrs newer than VT	1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 42% above VT	34 minHighest 44% above VT
Work from home	19.1%±6.9Highest VT: 16.9%	13.8%±8.2Lowest VT: 16.9%
	Westford and Newark are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	Essex Westford Educational Community Unified Union SD #51	Kingdom East Unified Union School District #64
High school in town	None in town	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

VT 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.