What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

Auburn has the most affordable homes ($400k 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	Kingston	Auburn
People
Population	14,027Lowest	16,970Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+4.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±3.9Highest 16% above MA	44.8±1.6Lowest 12% above MA
	Kingston and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	21%±2.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Auburn and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%	20.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	45.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%
	Auburn and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,876±$13kHighest 15% above MA	$116,711±$10kLowest 12% above MA
	Kingston and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$610,600±$30kHighest 9% above MA	$400,000±$16kLowest 29% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,159±$244Lowest 34% below MA	$1,467±$155Highest 17% below MA
	Auburn and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,650Highest 28% above MA	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.4%±10.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Auburn and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%	5.2%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	79.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 20% above MA	26 minLowest 12% below MA
Work from home	19.5%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Kingston and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#99 of 282 in MA	#106 of 282 in MA
School district	Kingston · Silver Lake	Auburn
High school in town	Silver Lake Regional High	Auburn Senior High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Lowest	12.1Highest
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.