Bay State Atlas
Massachusetts Living Index

Gardner

Central MA · pop. 21,287

Chair City and home of Mount Wachusett Community College, sitting on the high ground between the Connecticut and Nashua river basins.

Outdoors & TrailsCommuter Value
Livability Index
68
/ 100
Ranks #53 of 194 MA towns

The numbers

Median home
$302k
4.5× household income
Household income
$68k
ACS median
Commute to Boston
94 min
peak driving
Population
21,287
5-yr trend 55/100

How Gardner scores

Schools
73
Safety
73
Walkability
42
Transit
18
Biking
25
Dining
80
Nightlife
80
Arts & Culture
77
Green Space
78
Diversity
87
Climate
68

Who lives in Gardner

U.S. Census ACS 2018–2022 estimates. Rounded.

Median age
45
Foreign-born
8.6%
Bachelor's or higher
19.4%
Population
21k
White83.6%
Hispanic / Latino8.3%
Asian3.2%
Black1.8%
Other / multi3.1%

Schools in Gardner

Gardner School District. Massachusetts DESE FY2024 (FY2025 graduation rates).

Overall vs MA
Bottom 25%
22/100
ELA · 3-8
p7
21.3%
Math · 3-8
p8
20.8%
ELA · 10
p24
39.6%
Math · 10
p25
31.8%
Grad rate
93.1%
Below average
Spend / pupil
$18.5k
Bottom 25%
Teachers / 100
6
Bottom 25%
Enrollment
2,472

Source: Massachusetts DESE Education-to-Career Research and Data Hub. Percentile ranks against 194 MA towns in our index.

The honest read

Best for
Outdoor buyers chasing the cheapest livable city in Central MA with real trail access.
The tradeoff
Population is flat, schools are mid-tier, and Boston is a 75-minute drive.

You've now seen the honest read. Here's what most sites don't give you.

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Compare on your terms

These scores reflect a neutral weighting. Your priorities are not neutral. Open the full atlas to tune schools, walkability, affordability, commute, and seven more dimensions, and see where Gardner lands for you.

Nearby towns

Bordering and adjacent Massachusetts towns near Gardner.

Gardner appears in

Rankings where Gardner qualifies on the data. See where it lands vs the other 14 picks.

Popular comparisons

Common head‑to‑heads people search when looking at Gardner.

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