What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k 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	Springfield
People
Population	666,442Highest	154,749Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	33.7±0.5Highest 16% below MA
	Springfield 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%	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	13.2%±0.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Springfield and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	7.5%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Highest 26% below MA	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	16.6%Lowest MA: 10%	25.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	49.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1952Highest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	20 minLowest 31% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#276 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Springfield
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Springfield Central High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	12.2Lowest
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.