What stands out worked out from the figures below

Durham has the most affordable homes ($504k median).

Needham has the most kids (27.5% under 18).

Durham is a college town. 55.1% of residents are enrolled in college, which pulls its median age, poverty rate and renter figures away from what a year-round family would see.

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	Durham	Needham
People
Population	15,080Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	20.8±0.3Lowest 47% below U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	10.3%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	11.5%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	75.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	55.1%±3.2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,056±$21kLowest 54% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$504,300±$41kLowest 52% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,429±$143Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+ at least 221% above U.S.	$10,000+ at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	66.4%±16Highest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Durham and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.1%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1981Highest 1 yr newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	19 minLowest 27% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	19.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#9 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Oyster River Coop School District	—
High school in town	Oyster River High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	12.3	—
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	51 photos →	None yet

U.S. 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.