What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has the most kids (24.1% under 18).

Lowell has the most people working from home (10.8%).

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	Lowell
People
Population	328Lowest	378Highest
Median age	52.5±22.8Lowest 17% above ME	55.5±8.6Highest 24% above ME
	Lowell and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±9.2Highest ME: 18.1%	13.2%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Burlington and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	24.7%±7.2Lowest ME: 22.4%	31.2%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Lowell and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	10.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%	30%Highest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.2%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8%	1.9%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%
	Lowell and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$48,750±$14kLowest 35% below ME	$50,833±$31kHighest 32% below ME
	Lowell and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$99,700±$21kLowest 66% below ME	$209,700±$30kHighest 29% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$582Lowest 81% below ME	$1,478Highest 51% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	—	80%±100 ME: 48.4%
Below poverty line	19.3%Highest ME: 10.7%	10.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	93.2%Highest ME: 74.3%	88.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Lowest 3 yrs newer than ME	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	39 minHighest 60% above ME	31 minLowest 24% above ME
Work from home	5.1%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	10.8%±5.7Highest ME: 15.9%
	Lowell and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.