What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

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	Kingston
People
Population	16,970Highest	14,027Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Lowest 12% above MA	46.5±3.9Highest 16% above MA
	Kingston and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%	19.9%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Auburn and Kingston 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%	22.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston 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%	48.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Auburn and Kingston 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	$119,876±$13kHighest 15% above MA
	Kingston and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kLowest 29% below MA	$610,600±$30kHighest 9% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Highest 17% below MA	$1,159±$244Lowest 34% below MA
	Auburn and Kingston 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	$7,650Highest 28% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Highest MA: 51.8%	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Auburn and Kingston 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%	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	81.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% below MA	35 minHighest 20% above MA
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.5%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%
	Kingston 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	#99 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	Kingston · Silver Lake
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	Silver Lake Regional High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	12.0Lowest
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.