What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most affordable homes ($611k 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	Kingston	Needham
People
Population	14,027Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±3.9Highest 16% above MA	43.1±1.6Lowest 8% above MA
	Kingston and Needham 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%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	22.8%±3.7Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Kingston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,876±$13kLowest 15% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$610,600±$30kLowest 9% above MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,159±$244Lowest 34% below MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,650Lowest 28% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Needham 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%	3.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 20% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	19.5%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#99 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Kingston · Silver Lake	Needham
High school in town	Silver Lake Regional High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	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.