Bay State Atlas ← All 194 towns
Town comparison · Massachusetts

Auburn vs Webster

Central MA · Central MA
Even split (3–3) on headline livability metrics

On the six headline livability metrics, Auburn and Webster split the table evenly. This is a real tradeoff, not a ranking. Median home prices are close, within $16k of each other. Auburn is about 10 minutes closer to Boston by car at peak.

The two towns at a glance

Auburn

Central MA · pop. 16,889
Auburn sits directly south of Worcester on Route 20 and I-290, functioning as a practical commuter suburb with the lowest home prices among any town on this list south of $500k. The Route 20 commercial strip keeps basic services accessible.
52
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Auburn profile →

Webster

Central MA · pop. 17,776
On the Connecticut border with the lake formally known as Chargoggagoggmanchauggagoggchaubunagungamaugg, a working-class mill town with cheap waterfront.
60
Default fit score
equal weights, 0–100
Full Webster profile →

Head-to-head: every metric

Auburn Webster
Headline
Livability index 51 69
Economics
Median home $463k $447k
Household income $117k $73k
Price ÷ income 6.1×
Tax burden 65 70
Schools & Safety
Schools 75 73
Safety 75 73
Getting around
Commute to Boston 60 min 70 min
Walkability 30 38
Transit 8 12
Biking 28 25
Lifestyle
Dining 48 90
Nightlife 32 90
Arts & culture 25 77
Green space 28 75
Community
Diversity 32 90
Climate 70 70
5-yr trend 60 55

Clay = wins this metric. Direction matters: lower median home and shorter commute are better; everything else, higher is better.

Compare on your terms

These winners are based on a neutral, equal weighting of every metric. Your priorities are not neutral. Open Auburn vs Webster in the interactive atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and watch the verdict change.

Stuck between Auburn and Webster?

I'm Gary Fikes, a licensed real estate agent at MP Signature Realty and the curator of this site. I've walked both towns. Tell me what matters most and I'll give you a straight answer within 1 business day. No auto-dialer, no spam, no resale.

About this comparison

Bay State Atlas ranks 194 Massachusetts towns using public data (Census ACS, MA DESE schools, Walk Score, MA Department of Revenue tax data, and the FBI UCR safety index) normalized to 0–100. Every weight is editable. This page is a static, indexable snapshot. The live tool is faster and lets you customize what counts.