What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lynn has the most kids (24.1% under 18).

Boston has the most people working from home (21.3%).

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	Lynn	Boston
People
Population	101,709Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+9.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	36.5±1.2Highest 9% below MA	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
Kids under 18	24.1%±1.4Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13.7%±0.9Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Lynn and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,043±$3kLowest 28% below MA	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$510,100±$23kLowest 9% below MA	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,722±$60Lowest about the MA average	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,384Highest 10% below MA	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	13.8%Lowest MA: 10%	16.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 18 yrs older than MA	1947Highest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 8% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	7.9%±1Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#277 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Lynn	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Lynn English High	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.0Lowest	18.7Highest
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.