What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has the shortest commute (28 min average).

Melrose has grown the fastest since 2010 (+10.5%).

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	Melrose
People
Population	26,274Lowest	29,650Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+10.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.2Highest 15% above MA	43.6±1.1Lowest 9% above MA
	Burlington and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.2%±2.1Highest MA: 19.4%
	Melrose and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%	20.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Burlington and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1 MA: 7.9%	4.6%±1 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,436±$14kHighest 41% above MA	$133,953±$14kLowest 29% above MA
	Burlington and Melrose are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$740,600±$35kLowest 32% above MA	$822,900±$20kHighest 46% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,718±$368Highest 54% above MA	$1,970±$149Lowest 12% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,165Lowest about the MA average	$7,578Highest 26% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±10.7Highest MA: 51.8%	50.3%±8.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Burlington and Melrose 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%	3.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	67.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% below MA	35 minHighest 19% above MA
Work from home	22.5%±3.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.6%±2.7Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#83 of 282 in MA	#62 of 282 in MA
School district	Burlington	Melrose
High school in town	Burlington High	Melrose High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	12.8Highest
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.