What stands out worked out from the figures below

Framingham has the most people working from home (19.6%).

Webster has the most affordable homes ($362k median).

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	Webster
People
Population	72,399Highest	17,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	37.5±1Lowest 6% below MA	39.9±2.9Highest about the MA average
	Webster and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.7%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Framingham and Webster 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%	19.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	5.8%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Framingham and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,419±$6kHighest 3% above MA	$72,895±$6kLowest 30% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$627,300±$10kHighest 12% above MA	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,033±$57Highest 15% above MA	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,884Highest 15% above MA	$3,999Lowest 33% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%	45.7%±6.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Framingham and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.4%Lowest MA: 10%	12.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	59.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA	1962Lowest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 18.6%	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#229 of 282 in MA	#271 of 282 in MA
School district	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical	Webster
High school in town	Framingham High School	Bartlett High School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.6Lowest
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.