What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most expensive homes ($934k median).

Shrewsbury has the most affordable homes ($592k 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	Shrewsbury
People
Population	46,350Highest	38,876Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Highest 4% above MA	40.6±1.5Lowest about the MA average
	Arlington and Shrewsbury 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%	23.2%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Shrewsbury and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±1.4Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Arlington and Shrewsbury 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%	65.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	4.9%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Arlington and Shrewsbury 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	$139,302±$11kLowest 34% above MA
	Arlington and Shrewsbury 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	$592,300±$20kLowest 5% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Lowest 18% above MA	$2,116±$98Highest 20% above MA
	Shrewsbury 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	$6,923Lowest 16% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	44.2%±6.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Shrewsbury and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	72.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	31 minLowest 6% above MA
Work from home	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	26.3%±2.8Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#30 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Shrewsbury
High school in town	Arlington High	Shrewsbury High School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Lowest	14.4Highest
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.