What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most people working from home (34.5%).

Natick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.1%).

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	Arlington	Natick
People
Population	46,350Highest	36,873Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Lowest 4% above MA	43.3±1.4Highest 8% above MA
	Natick and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.2%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Natick and Arlington 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%	20.4%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Natick and Arlington 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%	70.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8 MA: 7.9%	5%±1 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA	$138,538±$11kLowest 33% above MA
	Arlington and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA	$821,000±$25kLowest 46% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Lowest 18% above MA	$2,134±$124Highest 21% above MA
	Natick 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	$8,914Lowest 49% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	41.7%±6.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Natick 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%	5.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	68.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	31 minLowest 5% above MA
Work from home	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	25.1%±1.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#48 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Natick
High school in town	Arlington High	Natick High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	12.6Lowest
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.