What stands out worked out from the figures below

Greenfield has the most affordable homes ($263k median).

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k 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	Greenfield	Needham
People
Population	17,664Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.6±2.1Highest 12% above MA	43.1±1.6Lowest 8% above MA
	Greenfield and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.3%±1.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	23.4%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.7%±0.9Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Needham and Greenfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,614±$7kLowest 47% below MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$263,100±$16kLowest 53% below MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$67Lowest 37% below MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,769Lowest 20% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.2%±7.3Highest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Greenfield and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	15.2%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA	1965Highest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 40% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	11.9%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#257 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Greenfield	Needham
High school in town	Greenfield High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.9Lowest	11.9Highest
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.