What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Worcester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+14.1%).

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	Worcester
People
Population	666,442Highest	207,055Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+14.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA	33.9±0.5Highest 15% below MA
	Worcester 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%	19.6%±0.8Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	13.3%±0.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Worcester 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%	35.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%	14.1%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Boston and Worcester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA	$70,102±$2kLowest 33% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA	$374,400±$7kLowest 33% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA	$1,487±$38Lowest 16% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA	$4,733Highest 21% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	54.2%±2.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Worcester and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	16.6%Lowest MA: 10%	19.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	42.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1951Highest 13 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	24 minLowest 17% below MA
Work from home	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%	11.5%±1Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#258 of 282 in MA	#266 of 282 in MA
School district	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston	Ma Academy for Math and Science · Worcester
High school in town	Boston Latin School	South High Community
Students per teacherat that high school	18.7Highest	14.6Lowest
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.