What stands out worked out from the figures below

Malden has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.5%).

Medford has the most people working from home (26.8%).

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	Malden	Medford
People
Population	65,906Highest	59,354Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	35.8±1Lowest 11% below MA	35.9±1Highest 10% below MA
	Medford and Malden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%	12.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13%±1.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	15.2%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Medford and Malden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	59.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	11.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Medford and Malden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$100,606±$6kLowest 3% below MA	$129,540±$8kHighest 25% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$633,500±$26kLowest 13% above MA	$755,500±$23kHighest 34% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,204±$62Lowest 25% above MA	$2,509±$94Highest 42% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,995Lowest 17% below MA	$6,286Highest 5% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±4.6Highest MA: 51.8%	41.1%±4.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	11.4%Highest MA: 10%	7.6%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	41.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	54.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1950Highest 14 yrs older than MA	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 18% above MA	30 minLowest 4% above MA
Work from home	19.8%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	26.8%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#184 of 282 in MA	#203 of 282 in MA
School district	Malden	Medford
High school in town	Malden High	Medford High
Students per teacherat that high school	16.1Highest	9.2Lowest
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.