What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has the most affordable homes ($493k 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	Kingston	Needham
People
Population	6,275Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	55.5±5.7Highest 43% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	13.5%±3.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	24.7%±6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	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+	35.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$105,330±$12kLowest 30% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$492,900±$58kLowest 48% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,393±$156Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,906Lowest 153% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.9%±46.4Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 2 yrs newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 29% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	15.7%±4.3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#78 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Sanborn Regional School District	Needham
High school in town	Sanborn Regional High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.9Highest	11.9Lowest
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.