What stands out worked out from the figures below

Boston has the most renters (64.3% rent).

Watertown has the most people working from home (29.1%).

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	Watertown
People
Population	666,442Highest	35,543Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	39.4±1.3Highest about the MA average
Kids under 18	15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4%	14.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Boston and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	18.3%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	66.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA	$126,265±$6kHighest 21% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kLowest 30% above MA	$784,600±$31kHighest 40% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Lowest 22% above MA	$2,502±$107Highest 42% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$6,799Highest 13% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%	42.7%±5.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	16.6%Highest MA: 10%	7.5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	47.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947 17 yrs older than MA	1947 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.1%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#171 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Watertown
High school in town	Boston Latin School	Watertown High
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	11.1Lowest
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.