What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.1%).

Dedham has the most affordable homes ($662k median).

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	Dedham
People
Population	46,350Highest	25,237Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+2.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Lowest 4% above MA	44.6±1.6Highest 12% above MA
Kids under 18	20.5%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%	18.6%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Arlington and Dedham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	21.9%±2Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	76.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	55%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.6%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Dedham and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA	$128,955±$10kLowest 24% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA	$661,800±$16kLowest 18% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Highest 18% above MA	$2,042±$182Lowest 16% above MA
	Arlington and Dedham 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	$7,918Lowest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	56.4%±10Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%	5.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	73.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	20%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#119 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Dedham
High school in town	Arlington High	Dedham High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	10.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.