What stands out worked out from the figures below

Maynard has the most affordable homes ($527k median).

Arlington has the most expensive homes ($934k 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	Maynard	Arlington
People
Population	10,712Lowest	46,350Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±4.3Highest 13% above MA	41.6±1.3Lowest 4% above MA
	Maynard and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.5%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Arlington and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.3Highest MA: 17.9%	17.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Maynard and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	76.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Arlington and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,067±$16kLowest 19% above MA	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$527,400±$31kLowest 6% below MA	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,800±$148Lowest about the MA average	$2,082±$76Highest 18% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,266Lowest 38% above MA	$9,604Highest 60% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±9.6Highest MA: 51.8%	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Maynard and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest MA: 10%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75%Highest MA: 62.5%	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 9% above MA	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	22.9%±7.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#166 of 282 in MA	#29 of 282 in MA
School district	Maynard	Arlington
High school in town	Maynard High	Arlington High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	13.6Highest
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.