What stands out worked out from the figures below

East Hampton has the most affordable homes ($349k median).

Stoneham has the most people working from home (24.6%).

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	East Hampton	Stoneham
People
Population	12,925Lowest	23,355Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+8.4% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.6±3.7Highest 12% above U.S.	42.2±2.2Lowest 8% above U.S.
	East Hampton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.4%±3Highest U.S.: 22%	20.8%±2.5Lowest U.S.: 22%
	East Hampton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	East Hampton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	55.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	East Hampton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,577±$11kHighest 54% above U.S.	$113,964±$10kLowest 41% above U.S.
	East Hampton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$349,000±$14kLowest 5% above U.S.	$671,900±$26kHighest 102% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$150Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,035±$142Highest 44% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,681Highest 114% above U.S.	$6,523Lowest 109% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.7%±16.4Highest U.S.: 51.1%	41.9%±8.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	East Hampton and Stoneham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	71%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.	1964Lowest 16 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 12% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	12.7%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	24.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#75 of 149 in CT	#117 of 282 in MA
School district	East Hampton School District	Stoneham
High school in town	East Hampton High School	Stoneham High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.7Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	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.