Compare towns
Whately vs Stow vs New Braintree
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against Massachusetts.
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Whately has the shortest commute (23 min average).
Stow has the most people working from home (36.6%).
New Braintree has the most affordable homes ($409k 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.
| Measure | Whately | Stow | New Braintree |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 1,499 |
7,165Highest |
973Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +7.4% MA: +7.4% |
+8.9%Highest MA: +7.4% |
-0.3%Lowest MA: +7.4% |
| Median age | 49.3±6.7Highest 23% above MA |
44.1±4.4Lowest 10% above MA |
47.8±4.6 20% above MA |
| Whately and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 16.4%±3.8Lowest MA: 19.4% |
22.3%±4.1Highest MA: 19.4% |
20%±4.4 MA: 19.4% |
| Stow and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 24.5%±6.3 MA: 17.9% |
19.1%±3.5Lowest MA: 17.9% |
25.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9% |
| New Braintree and Whately are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+ | 47.6% MA: 47.3% |
75.1%Highest MA: 47.3% |
41.4%Lowest MA: 47.3% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 2.5%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9% |
3.7%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9% |
2.9%±1.6 MA: 7.9% |
| Stow and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Cost of living | |||
| Household incomemedian | $116,563±$15k 12% above MA |
$185,809±$22kHighest 79% above MA |
$99,500±$8kLowest 4% below MA |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $431,500±$22k 23% below MA |
$729,600±$39kHighest 30% above MA |
$408,800±$27kLowest 27% below MA |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $977±$125Lowest 45% below MA |
$1,782±$126Highest about the MA average |
$1,484±$316 16% below MA |
| Stow and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $5,027Lowest 16% below MA |
$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA |
$5,508 8% below MA |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 26.7%±29Lowest MA: 51.8% |
59.7%±44.2Highest MA: 51.8% |
51.4%±51.2 MA: 51.8% |
| Stow and New Braintree are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 5.4% MA: 10% |
5.2%Lowest MA: 10% |
7.2%Highest MA: 10% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 88.2% MA: 62.5% |
85.4%Lowest MA: 62.5% |
89.8%Highest MA: 62.5% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1974Lowest 10 yrs newer than MA |
1974Lowest 10 yrs newer than MA |
1987Highest 23 yrs newer than MA |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 23 minLowest 21% below MA |
36 min 23% above MA |
37 minHighest 26% above MA |
| Work from home | 20.4%±8.5 MA: 18.6% |
36.6%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6% |
7.4%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6% |
| Schools | |||
| Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading | — | #44 of 282 in MA | — |
| School district | Whately | Nashoba | Quabbin |
| High school in town | None in town | None in town | None in town |
| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in History | None yet | 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.