What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Framingham has the most kids (21.7% 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	Framingham
People
Population	59,354Lowest	72,399Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	35.9±1Lowest 10% below MA	37.5±1Highest 6% below MA
	Framingham and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.7%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%	15.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Medford and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	48.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,540±$8kHighest 25% above MA	$107,419±$6kLowest 3% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$755,500±$23kHighest 34% above MA	$627,300±$10kLowest 12% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,509±$94Highest 42% above MA	$2,033±$57Lowest 15% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,286Lowest 5% above MA	$6,884Highest 15% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.1%±4.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	53.4%±5.6Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.6%Lowest MA: 10%	10.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	54.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	30 minHighest 4% above MA
Work from home	26.8%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#203 of 282 in MA	#229 of 282 in MA
School district	Medford	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Medford High	Framingham High School
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	12.7Highest
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.