What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has the most affordable homes ($400k median).

Concord has the most expensive homes ($1210k 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	Auburn	Concord
People
Population	16,970Lowest	18,223Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.7%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Lowest 12% above MA	47.6±2Highest 19% above MA
	Concord and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.6%±2.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Concord and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.7%±2.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Concord and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	79.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.5%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Concord and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,711±$10kLowest 12% above MA	$195,350±$22kHighest 88% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kLowest 29% below MA	$1,210,000±$72kHighest 115% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Lowest 17% below MA	$2,631±$166Highest 49% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	53.2%±10.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Concord and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% below MA	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	36.1%±4.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 282 in MA	#10 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	Concord · Concord-Carlisle
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	Concord Carlisle High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.4Lowest
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.