What stands out worked out from the figures below

Holbrook has the most affordable homes ($465k median).

Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Holbrook	Needham
People
Population	11,380Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±3.2Lowest 7% above MA	43.1±1.6Highest 8% above MA
	Needham and Holbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±4.4Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Needham and Holbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Holbrook and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±2.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Needham and Holbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$115,210±$14kLowest 11% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$465,400±$21kLowest 17% below MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,094±$423Lowest 38% below MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,105Lowest about the MA average	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	47.8%±18.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Needham and Holbrook are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	84%Highest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1965Highest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	38 minHighest 30% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	12.1%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#234 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Holbrook	Needham
High school in town	Holbrook Middle High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.3Highest	11.9Lowest
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.