What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lowell has the shortest commute (31 min average).

Waltham has the highest household income ($71k).

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	Lowell	Waltham
People
Population	378Highest	346Lowest
Median age	55.5±8.6Lowest 24% above ME	56.4±9.3Highest 26% above ME
	Waltham and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±4.4Lowest ME: 18.1%	15%±8.1Highest ME: 18.1%
	Waltham and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	32.9%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%
	Waltham and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30%Highest ME: 36.2%	22.8%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	1.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Lowell and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$50,833±$31kLowest 32% below ME	$71,071±$14kHighest 5% below ME
	Waltham and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,700±$30kHighest 29% below ME	$181,300±$22kLowest 39% below ME
	Lowell and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$850±$567 25% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,478Highest 51% below ME	$1,452Lowest 52% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	80%±100Highest ME: 48.4%	15%±96.7Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Lowell and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	19.7%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.5%Highest ME: 74.3%	85.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1986Lowest 9 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 24% above ME	41 minHighest 67% above ME
Work from home	10.8%±5.7Lowest ME: 15.9%	13.4%±6.1Highest ME: 15.9%
	Waltham and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.