What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Needham has the most kids (27.5% 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	Needham
People
Population	59,354Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	35.9±1Lowest 10% below MA	43.1±1.6Highest 8% above MA
Kids under 18	12.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Needham 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%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,540±$8kLowest 25% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$755,500±$23kLowest 34% above MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,509±$94Highest 42% above MA	$2,409±$183Lowest 37% above MA
	Medford and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,286Lowest 5% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.1%±4.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.6%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1965Highest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	26.8%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#203 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Medford	Needham
High school in town	Medford High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	11.9Highest
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.