What stands out worked out from the figures below

Worcester has the most affordable homes ($155k median).

Stafford has grown the fastest since 2010 (-1.4%).

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	Worcester	Stafford
People
Population	2,149Lowest	2,251Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-4.9%Lowest NY: +4.2%	-1.4%Highest NY: +4.2%
Median age	43.2±6.9Highest 9% above NY	41.9±2.2Lowest 5% above NY
	Worcester and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.3%±3.3Lowest NY: 20.5%	27.2%±4.8Highest NY: 20.5%
	Stafford and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±2.6Lowest NY: 17.9%	18.9%±3.8Highest NY: 17.9%
	Stafford and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.9%Lowest NY: 40.2%	29.4%Highest NY: 40.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±5.5Highest NY: 7%	1.3%±1.1Lowest NY: 7%
	Worcester and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,886±$23kLowest 19% below NY	$87,554±$16kHighest about the NY average
	Stafford and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$155,300±$43kLowest 63% below NY	$182,500±$17kHighest 57% below NY
	Stafford and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$736±$327Lowest 55% below NY	$848±$230Highest 48% below NY
	Stafford and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,602Lowest 60% below NY	$4,649Highest 29% below NY
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	91.8%±41.9Highest NY: 52.1%	33.3%±30.3Lowest NY: 52.1%
	Worcester and Stafford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	21.7%Highest NY: 14%	7.8%Lowest NY: 14%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	90.7%Highest NY: 54.3%	88.3%Lowest NY: 54.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 21 yrs older than NY	1956Highest 3 yrs older than NY
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 19% below NY	21 minLowest 35% below NY
Work from home	8.4%±4.6Lowest NY: 14.9%	9.8%±4.2Highest NY: 14.9%
	Stafford and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

NY 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.