What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has the highest household income ($146k).

Framingham has the most kids (21.7% under 18).

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	Burlington	Framingham
People
Population	26,274Lowest	72,399Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.2Highest 15% above MA	37.5±1Lowest 6% below MA
Kids under 18	17.1%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.7%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	21.9%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	15.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	48.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,436±$14kHighest 41% above MA	$107,419±$6kLowest 3% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$740,600±$35kHighest 32% above MA	$627,300±$10kLowest 12% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,718±$368Highest 54% above MA	$2,033±$57Lowest 15% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,165Lowest about the MA average	$6,884Highest 15% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	53.4%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Framingham and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest MA: 10%	10.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	54.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% below MA	30 minHighest 4% above MA
Work from home	22.5%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Burlington and Framingham 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	#83 of 282 in MA	#229 of 282 in MA
School district	Burlington	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Burlington High	Framingham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	12.7Highest
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.