What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most renters (38.4% rent).

Needham has the highest household income ($214k).

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	Needham
People
Population	46,350Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Lowest 4% above MA	43.1±1.6Highest 8% above MA
	Needham 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%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Needham 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Needham 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±$5kLowest 45% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$933,800±$23kLowest 66% above MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Lowest 18% above MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,604Lowest 60% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1965Highest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Arlington and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	—
High school in town	Arlington High	—
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6	—
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.