What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has the highest household income ($117k).

East Longmeadow has the shortest commute (23 min average).

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	East Longmeadow
People
Population	16,970Highest	16,425Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Highest 12% above MA	43.7±4.2Lowest 9% above MA
	Auburn and East Longmeadow 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%	22.3%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	East Longmeadow 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%	21.1%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%
	East Longmeadow 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%	49.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.6%±2Highest MA: 7.9%
	East Longmeadow 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±$10kHighest 12% above MA	$106,676±$11kLowest about the MA average
	Auburn and East Longmeadow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kHighest 29% below MA	$376,800±$17kLowest 33% below MA
	Auburn and East Longmeadow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Highest 17% below MA	$1,337±$236Lowest 24% below MA
	Auburn and East Longmeadow are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA	$6,662Highest 11% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5 MA: 51.8%	51.4%±10.2 MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest MA: 10%	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	86.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minHighest 12% below MA	23 minLowest 22% below MA
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	15.5%±3.1Highest MA: 18.6%
	East Longmeadow and Auburn 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	#106 of 282 in MA	#148 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	East Longmeadow
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	East Longmeadow High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	9.6Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.