What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most affordable homes ($732k median).

Brookline has the most expensive homes ($1247k 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	Boston	Brookline
People
Population	666,442Highest	63,266Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+7.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	35.2±1.2Highest 12% below MA
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.7%±1.4Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	15.8%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	85.4%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	10.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA	$142,101±$8kHighest 37% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kLowest 30% above MA	$1,246,800±$67kHighest 122% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Lowest 22% above MA	$2,835±$82Highest 61% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%	46.9%±4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Boston and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	8.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	46.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Highest 17 yrs older than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	27 minLowest 7% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.1%±2.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#22 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Brookline
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Brookline High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	11.9Lowest
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.