What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medford has the most people working from home (7.7%).

Burlington has the most kids (24.1% 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	Burlington
People
Population	222Lowest	328Highest
Median age	50.5±8.8Lowest 13% above ME	52.5±22.8Highest 17% above ME
	Burlington and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	3.2%±11.3Lowest ME: 18.1%	24.1%±9.2Highest ME: 18.1%
Age 65+	20.7%±9.6Lowest ME: 22.4%	24.7%±7.2Highest ME: 22.4%
	Burlington and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	10.8%Highest ME: 36.2%	10.5%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.6%±6Highest ME: 5.8%	1.2%±3.8Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Medford and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$65,476±$14kHighest 12% below ME	$48,750±$14kLowest 35% below ME
	Medford and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$88,200±$27kLowest 70% below ME	$99,700±$21kHighest 66% below ME
	Burlington and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,250Highest 59% below ME	$582Lowest 81% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	11.3%Lowest ME: 10.7%	19.3%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	97.7%Highest ME: 74.3%	93.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1978Lowest 1 yr newer than ME	1980Highest 3 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 6% above ME	39 minHighest 60% above ME
Work from home	7.7%±5Highest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±6.1Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Medford and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.