What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k median).

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	Needham	Thomaston
People
Population	32,459Highest	7,492Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.
	Needham and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Needham and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thomaston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	77.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	27 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 282 in MA	#106 of 149 in CT
School district	—	Thomaston School District
High school in town	—	Thomaston High School
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.