What stands out worked out from the figures below

Johnston has the most affordable homes ($356k median).

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Johnston	Needham
People
Population	29,835Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.8%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.5±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Johnston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.5%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.1%±2.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	28.9%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.1%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Johnston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$91,866±$6kLowest 14% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$355,500±$13kLowest 7% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,275±$132Lowest 10% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,614Lowest 48% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	38.1%±8.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Highest 12 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 11% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	9.9%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 38 in RI	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Johnston	Needham
High school in town	Johnston Senior High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.3Lowest	11.9Highest
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.