What stands out worked out from the figures below

Dracut has the most affordable homes ($474k median).

Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Dracut	Needham
People
Population	32,574Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.7±2Lowest 4% above MA	43.1±1.6Highest 8% above MA
	Needham and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±2.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	18.2%±2Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Dracut and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Needham and Dracut are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$114,036±$10kLowest 10% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$473,900±$17kLowest 16% below MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,839±$130Lowest 4% above MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,375Lowest 10% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±7.4Highest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Dracut and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	11.4%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#201 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Dracut	Needham
High school in town	Dracut Senior High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	11.9Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.