What stands out worked out from the figures below

Westminster has the most people working from home (12.5%).

Rochester has the most expensive homes ($599k 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	Rochester
People
Population	8,374Highest	5,837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+9.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.3±4.6Highest 21% above MA	46.5±6Lowest 16% above MA
	Westminster and Rochester 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%	20.1%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Westminster and Rochester 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%	20.1%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Westminster and Rochester 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%	43.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.8%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.5Highest MA: 7.9%
	Rochester 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	$120,273±$12kHighest 16% above MA
	Rochester and Westminster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$422,000±$36kLowest 25% below MA	$599,100±$31kHighest 7% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,843±$268Highest 5% above MA	$1,432±$743Lowest 19% below MA
	Westminster and Rochester 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	$6,530Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±27.3Highest MA: 51.8%	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Westminster and Rochester 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%	5.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	87.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Lowest 13 yrs newer than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 7% below MA	37 minHighest 25% above MA
Work from home	12.5%±4.2Highest MA: 18.6%	8.3%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Westminster and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#112 of 282 in MA	#104 of 282 in MA
School district	Ashburnham-Westminster	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester
High school in town	Oakmont Regional High School	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	9.1Lowest
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.