What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chelsea has grown the fastest since 2010 (+15.9%).

Boston has the most people working from home (21.3%).

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	Chelsea	Boston
People
Population	39,908Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+15.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	34.4±1.3Highest 14% below MA	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
	Chelsea and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.4%±2.1Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	10.5%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$72,179±$8kLowest 31% below MA	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$493,500±$24kLowest 12% below MA	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,956±$96Lowest 11% above MA	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,321Lowest 45% below MA	$4,456Highest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	59.4%±5.1Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest MA: 10%	16.6%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	26%Lowest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1941Lowest 23 yrs older than MA	1947Highest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 13% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	10.4%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#280 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Chelsea	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Chelsea High	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.1Lowest	18.7Highest
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.