What stands out worked out from the figures below

Montville has the most affordable homes ($286k median).

Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Montville	Needham
People
Population	17,950Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	42.8±4.1Lowest 10% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.2%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Needham and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	25.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Montville and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$96,454±$11kLowest 19% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$285,600±$13kLowest 14% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,187±$99Lowest 16% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,565Lowest 46% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.4%±8.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Montville are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 4% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	5.5%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#95 of 149 in CT	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Montville School District	Needham
High school in town	Montville High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	11.9Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.