What stands out worked out from the figures below

Braintree Town has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.5%).

Douglas has the most affordable homes ($471k 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	Braintree Town	Douglas
People
Population	38,899Highest	9,207Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.2Lowest 3% above MA	44±2.6Highest 10% above MA
	Douglas and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.6%±1.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.6%±1.4Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Braintree Town and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	47.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Braintree Town and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$122,214±$10kLowest 18% above MA	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$656,800±$14kHighest 17% above MA	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,024±$195Highest 15% above MA	$1,503±$697Lowest 15% below MA
	Braintree Town and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,436Lowest 9% below MA	$6,338Highest 6% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.9%±7.5Highest MA: 51.8%	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Braintree Town and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Highest MA: 10%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minLowest 12% above MA	34 minHighest 16% above MA
Work from home	18.2%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%
	Douglas and Braintree Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#84 of 282 in MA	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Braintree	Douglas
High school in town	Braintree High	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.7Highest	7.2Lowest
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.