What stands out worked out from the figures below

Willimantic has the most affordable homes ($191k median).

Boxford has the most expensive homes ($907k 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	Willimantic	Boxford
People
Population	18,096Highest	8,208Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+3%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	31.3±2.7Lowest 20% below U.S.	49.1±3.6Highest 26% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.6%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.7%±5Highest U.S.: 22%
	Boxford and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	11%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.2%±4.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	70.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	19.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.8%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$45,962±$7kLowest 43% below U.S.	$200,871±$21kHighest 149% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$190,900±$17kLowest 43% below U.S.	$907,000±$46kHighest 173% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,063±$68Highest 25% below U.S.	$776±$13Lowest 45% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,678Lowest 50% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	67.2%±60.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Boxford and Willimantic are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	23.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	34.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1953Lowest 27 yrs older than U.S.	1979Highest 1 yr older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	23 minLowest 12% below U.S.	31 minHighest 18% above U.S.
Work from home	6.2%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	21.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#34 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Boxford · Masconomet
High school in town	—	Masconomet Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	12.2
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

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.