What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most people working from home (21.3%).

Chelsea has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.9%).

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	Chelsea
People
Population	666,442Highest	39,908Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+15.9%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	34.4±1.3Highest 14% below MA
	Chelsea and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.4%±2.1Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Highest MA: 17.9%	10.5%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	22.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$72,179±$8kLowest 31% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$493,500±$24kLowest 12% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,956±$96Lowest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Highest 26% below MA	$3,321Lowest 45% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	59.4%±5.1Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	16.6%Lowest MA: 10%	20.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	26%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Highest 17 yrs older than MA	1941Lowest 23 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	33 minHighest 13% above MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	10.4%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#280 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Chelsea
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Chelsea High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	13.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.