What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windsor Locks has the most people working from home (17.7%).

Gardner has the most renters (41.1% rent).

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	Windsor Locks	Gardner
People
Population	12,579Lowest	21,148Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+5.2% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.4±2.6Lowest 6% above U.S.	43.7±2.3Highest 12% above U.S.
	Gardner and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.6%±3.4Highest U.S.: 22%	18.3%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Windsor Locks and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±2.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Gardner and Windsor Locks are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.6%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	23.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.9%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.6%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Windsor Locks and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$81,205±$13kHighest about the U.S. average	$67,518±$8kLowest 16% below U.S.
	Windsor Locks and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$258,800±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.	$301,600±$20kHighest 9% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,394±$187Highest about the U.S. average	$1,109±$51Lowest 22% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,688Lowest 18% above U.S.	$4,150Highest 33% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	58.2%±16.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	49.7%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windsor Locks and Gardner are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.9%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	13.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	58.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Highest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1954Lowest 26 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	22 minLowest 17% below U.S.	31 minHighest 16% above U.S.
Work from home	17.7%±3.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	13.3%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Windsor Locks and Gardner 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	#109 of 149 in CT	#273 of 282 in MA
School district	Windsor Locks School District	Gardner
High school in town	Windsor Locks High School	Gardner High
Students per teacherat that high school	8.9Lowest	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.