What stands out worked out from the figures below

Barnet has the most affordable homes ($204k 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	Barnet	Needham
People
Population	61Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	62.2±45.8Highest 60% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Barnet and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	31.1%±29.6Highest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Barnet and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	36.1%±44.4Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Barnet and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±23.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Barnet are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$57,917±$16kLowest 28% below U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$204,200±$38kLowest 39% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$2,409±$183 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$2,950Lowest 5% below U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	55.9%±8.5 U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	47.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	100%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	—	28 min 5% above U.S.
Work from home	55%±29Highest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
	Barnet 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	—	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	—	Needham
High school in town	—	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	11.9
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.