What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lynn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.1%).

New Bedford has the most affordable homes ($357k 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	Lynn	New Bedford
People
Population	101,709Highest	100,998Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	36.5±1.2Lowest 9% below MA	37±0.8Highest 8% below MA
	New Bedford and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±1.4Highest MA: 19.4%	23.9%±1.2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Lynn and New Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.7%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±0.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	New Bedford and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	17%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.6Highest MA: 7.9%	4.1%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,043±$3kHighest 28% below MA	$56,981±$3kLowest 45% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$510,100±$23kHighest 9% below MA	$357,300±$6kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,722±$60Highest about the MA average	$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,384Highest 10% below MA	$4,338Lowest 28% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%	52.6%±3.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	13.8%Lowest MA: 10%	20.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Highest 18 yrs older than MA	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 8% above MA	25 minLowest 15% below MA
Work from home	7.9%±1Highest MA: 18.6%	5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#277 of 282 in MA	#263 of 282 in MA
School district	Lynn	New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Lynn English High	New Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	15.0Highest	13.5Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.