What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Westborough has grown the fastest since 2010 (+18%).

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	Westborough
People
Population	46,350Highest	21,944Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+18%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Highest 4% above MA	38.8±1.6Lowest 3% below MA
	Arlington and Westborough 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%	25.6%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%	15.5%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Arlington and Westborough 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%	65.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	4%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Arlington and Westborough 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	$141,944±$12kLowest 37% above MA
	Arlington and Westborough 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	$685,300±$31kLowest 22% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Lowest 18% above MA	$2,106±$151Highest 20% above MA
	Westborough and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,604Lowest 60% above MA	$9,983Highest 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	40.9%±8.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Westborough 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%	6.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	61.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer 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%	26.5%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#21 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Westborough
High school in town	Arlington High	Westborough High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	12.8Lowest
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.