What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most affordable homes ($319k median).

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k 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	Needham
People
Population	2,598Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	37.6±4Lowest 3% below U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and Arlington 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%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	20.7%±3.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Arlington and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	55.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	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	$102,308±$11kLowest 27% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$318,500±$59kLowest 4% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,191±$172Lowest 16% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,549Lowest 46% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	77.1%±9.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 14 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 23% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	35.9%±10.8Highest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	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	#50 of 70 in VT	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington School District	Needham
High school in town	Arlington Memorial	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.6Lowest	11.9Highest
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.