What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westminster has the most affordable homes ($422k median).

Bolton has the most people working from home (40.5%).

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	Westminster	Bolton
People
Population	8,374Highest	5,737Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+15.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.3±4.6Highest 21% above MA	41.2±1.7Lowest 3% above MA
Kids under 18	21.3%±4.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	25%±3.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Bolton and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%	15.7%±3.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.6%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bolton and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,331±$22kLowest about the MA average	$205,449±$31kHighest 98% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$422,000±$36kLowest 25% below MA	$796,000±$49kHighest 42% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,843±$268Highest 5% above MA	$1,583±$1kLowest 10% below MA
	Westminster and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,973Lowest 17% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%	12.7%±45.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Westminster and Bolton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest MA: 10%	2.9%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	94.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 13 yrs newer than MA	1988Highest 24 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 7% below MA	37 minHighest 26% above MA
Work from home	12.5%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	40.5%±6.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#112 of 282 in MA	#28 of 282 in MA
School district	Ashburnham-Westminster	Nashoba
High school in town	Oakmont Regional High School	Nashoba Regional
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	12.0Lowest
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.