What stands out worked out from the figures below

Worcester has the most affordable homes ($271k median).

Acton has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Acton
People
Population	831Lowest	24,155Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-3.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	47±2.7Highest 21% above U.S.	44.5±0.8Lowest 14% above U.S.
	Worcester and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	23.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	19.5%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Worcester and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	53%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	79.5%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.9%±4.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.9%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Worcester and Acton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$73,833±$18kLowest 9% below U.S.	$158,230±$14kHighest 96% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,100±$27kLowest 19% below U.S.	$807,300±$20kHighest 143% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,023±$136Lowest 28% below U.S.	$1,986±$155Highest 41% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,421Lowest 42% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	25.5%±37Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.7%±11.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Acton and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	74.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1974Lowest 6 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest 9% above U.S.	35 minHighest 31% above U.S.
Work from home	23.6%±4.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	35.9%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#13 of 282 in MA
School district	Washington Central Unified Union School District #92	Acton-Boxborough
High school in town	None in town	Acton-Boxborough Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	13.5
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.