What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most homeowners (84.6%).

Framingham has the most expensive homes ($627k 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	Windham	Framingham
People
Population	19,188Lowest	72,399Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.4%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+5.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.8±1.8Highest 7% above U.S.	37.5±1Lowest 4% below U.S.
Kids under 18	19.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.7%±1.6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Framingham and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.9%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	15.1%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Windham and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.2%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48.7%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.5%±0.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,934±$14kHighest 34% above U.S.	$107,419±$6kLowest 33% above U.S.
	Windham and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$388,900±$22kLowest 17% above U.S.	$627,300±$10kHighest 89% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,232±$332Lowest 13% below U.S.	$2,033±$57Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,938Lowest 26% above U.S.	$6,884Highest 121% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	32.7%±14.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	53.4%±5.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	10.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	54.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1985Highest 5 yrs newer than U.S.	1966Lowest 14 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	30 minHighest 15% above U.S.
Work from home	19%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	19.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Framingham and Windham 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	#95 of 133 in ME	#229 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 14	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Windham High School	Framingham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Lowest	12.7Highest
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.