What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medford has the most affordable homes ($756k median).

Arlington has the most kids (20.5% under 18).

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	Medford	Arlington
People
Population	59,354Highest	46,350Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	35.9±1Lowest 10% below MA	41.6±1.3Highest 4% above MA
Kids under 18	12.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.5%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	17.3%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Arlington and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.8%Lowest MA: 47.3%	76.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	5%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,540±$8kLowest 25% above MA	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$755,500±$23kLowest 34% above MA	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,509±$94Highest 42% above MA	$2,082±$76Lowest 18% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,286Lowest 5% above MA	$9,604Highest 60% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.1%±4.9Highest MA: 51.8%	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Medford and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.6%Highest MA: 10%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	61.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1945Highest 19 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	32 minHighest 11% above MA
Work from home	26.8%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#203 of 282 in MA	#29 of 282 in MA
School district	Medford	Arlington
High school in town	Medford High	Arlington High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	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.