What stands out worked out from the figures below

Biddeford has the most affordable homes ($397k 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	Biddeford	Needham
People
Population	22,498Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	35±2.6Lowest 10% below U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	15.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Needham and Biddeford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,333±$4kLowest 10% below U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$396,600±$25kLowest 19% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,292±$100Lowest 9% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,401Lowest 41% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	37.2%±6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	15.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 28 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 10% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	14.2%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#111 of 133 in ME	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Biddeford Public Schools	Needham
High school in town	Biddeford High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.1Highest	11.9Lowest
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.