What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Middleborough has the most expensive homes ($469k 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	Middleborough
People
Population	16,970Lowest	24,505Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+4.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Highest 12% above MA	43.4±2.1Lowest 9% above MA
	Auburn and Middleborough 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%	18.8%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Auburn and Middleborough 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%	21.8%±2.1Highest MA: 17.9%
	Middleborough 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%Highest MA: 47.3%	32%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.5%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Auburn and Middleborough 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	$97,056±$7kLowest 7% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kLowest 29% below MA	$468,700±$18kHighest 17% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Lowest 17% below MA	$1,706±$72Highest 3% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA	$6,023Highest about the MA average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.2%±11.4Highest MA: 51.8%
	Middleborough and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	6.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	76.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1979Highest 15 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% below MA	31 minHighest 7% above MA
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%	13.6%±2.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Auburn and Middleborough 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	#170 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	Middleborough
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	Middleborough High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	11.3Lowest
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.