What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westminster has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.9%).

Dalton has the most affordable homes ($296k 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	Westminster	Dalton
People
Population	8,374Highest	6,256Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	-6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.3±4.6Lowest 21% above MA	49.7±5.8Highest 24% above MA
	Dalton and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±4.4Highest MA: 19.4%	20.6%±4.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Westminster and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	26%±5.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	27.9%±5.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Dalton and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	44.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	2.3%±1.6Highest MA: 7.9%
	Dalton 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±$22kHighest about the MA average	$79,438±$8kLowest 24% below MA
	Westminster and Dalton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$422,000±$36kHighest 25% below MA	$295,700±$26kLowest 47% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,843±$268Highest 5% above MA	$872±$70Lowest 51% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,973Highest 17% below MA	$4,276Lowest 29% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%	41.2%±19Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Westminster and Dalton 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%	7.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	70.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 13 yrs newer than MA	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 7% below MA	22 minLowest 24% below MA
Work from home	12.5%±4.2 MA: 18.6%	12.5%±7.1 MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#112 of 282 in MA	#192 of 282 in MA
School district	Ashburnham-Westminster	Central Berkshire
High school in town	Oakmont Regional High School	Wahconah Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	10.9Lowest
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.