What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most people working from home (35.9%).

Everett has grown the fastest since 2010 (+17.8%).

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	Everett
People
Population	2,598Lowest	50,045Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+17.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Highest 3% below U.S.	35.2±1.5Lowest 10% below U.S.
	Arlington and Everett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	21.8%±2.1Highest U.S.: 22%
	Everett and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	11.3%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	24.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	6.3%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$102,308±$11kHighest 27% above U.S.	$85,218±$7kLowest 6% above U.S.
	Arlington and Everett are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.	$610,000±$23kHighest 83% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Lowest 16% below U.S.	$2,076±$69Highest 47% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Lowest 46% above U.S.	$4,880Highest 56% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	56.4%±5.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	14.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	37.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	35 minHighest 33% above U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	10.5%±2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#50 of 70 in VT	#264 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington School District	Everett
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Everett High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	12.1Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.