What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most kids (20.5% under 18).

Medford has the most affordable homes ($756k 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	Medford
People
Population	46,350Lowest	59,354Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Highest 4% above MA	35.9±1Lowest 10% below MA
Kids under 18	20.5%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%	12.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%	15.2%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Arlington and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	76.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	59.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	11.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA	$129,540±$8kLowest 25% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA	$755,500±$23kLowest 34% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Lowest 18% above MA	$2,509±$94Highest 42% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,604Highest 60% above MA	$6,286Lowest 5% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	41.1%±4.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Medford and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%	7.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	54.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Highest 19 yrs older than MA	1942Lowest 22 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%	26.8%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#203 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Medford
High school in town	Arlington High	Medford High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	9.2Lowest
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.