What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most homeowners (61.6%).

Boston has the most renters (64.3% rent).

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	Arlington	Boston
People
Population	46,350Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Highest 4% above MA	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
Kids under 18	20.5%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	76.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA	$731,700±$10kLowest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Lowest 18% above MA	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA
	Boston and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,604Highest 60% above MA	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%	16.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1947Highest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Arlington High	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Lowest	18.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

MA 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.