What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the most affordable homes ($250k median).

Gardner has the most people working from home (13.3%).

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	Winchester	Gardner
People
Population	10,284Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±6.2Highest 26% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Lowest 12% above U.S.
	Winchester and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	18.3%±2.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Gardner and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	27.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.3Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Gardner and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,519±$12kLowest 18% below U.S.	$67,518±$8kHighest 16% below U.S.
	Gardner and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$249,500±$17kLowest 25% below U.S.	$301,600±$20kHighest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$116Highest 17% below U.S.	$1,109±$51Lowest 22% below U.S.
	Winchester and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,780Highest 53% above U.S.	$4,150Lowest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	49.7%±8.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Gardner and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Highest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#97 of 149 in CT	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Explorations District · Regional School District 07	Gardner
High school in town	Northwestern Regional High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	13.5Highest
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.