What stands out worked out from the figures below

Framingham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5.9%).

Reading has the highest household income ($166k).

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	Framingham	Reading
People
Population	72,399Highest	25,612Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	37.5±1Lowest 6% below MA	43.7±2.3Highest 9% above MA
Kids under 18	21.7%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Reading and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.7%±2.3Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	66.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,419±$6kLowest 3% above MA	$165,912±$13kHighest 60% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$627,300±$10kLowest 12% above MA	$809,000±$22kHighest 44% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,033±$57Highest 15% above MA	$1,991±$273Lowest 13% above MA
	Framingham and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,884Lowest 15% above MA	$9,320Highest 56% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%	27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA	1960Lowest 4 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	31 minHighest 6% above MA
Work from home	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#229 of 282 in MA	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical	Reading
High school in town	Framingham High School	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	12.1Lowest
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.