What stands out worked out from the figures below

Whitingham has the most affordable homes ($262k median).

Harvard has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.1%).

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	Whitingham	Harvard
People
Population	1,368Lowest	6,927Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	46.4±7.1Highest 19% above U.S.	44.1±4.7Lowest 13% above U.S.
	Whitingham and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.8%±4.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.1%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Harvard and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.1%±2.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	16.3%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.2%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.8%±1.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Harvard and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,625±$11kLowest 13% below U.S.	$213,996±$24kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$262,300±$30kLowest 21% below U.S.	$833,600±$54kHighest 151% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$673±$150Lowest 52% below U.S.	$1,321±$424Highest 7% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,055Lowest 62% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.7%±47.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	72.5%±51.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Harvard and Whitingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	89.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 44% above U.S.	32 minLowest 20% above U.S.
Work from home	9.7%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	44.8%±6.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#12 of 282 in MA
School district	Twin Valley Unified School District #75	Harvard
High school in town	Twin Valley Middle High School	The Bromfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	7.8Lowest	11.0Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	12 photos →

U.S. 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.