What stands out worked out from the figures below

Amherst has the most affordable homes ($538k median).

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Amherst	Needham
People
Population	11,861Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Amherst and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Needham and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.2%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Amherst and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Amherst are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,196±$10kLowest 90% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$537,600±$30kLowest 62% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,462±$256Lowest 3% above U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,773Lowest 213% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	4.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	32.4%±5.5 U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#20 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District	Needham
High school in town	Souhegan Coop High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.4Lowest	11.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.