What stands out worked out from the figures below

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

Amherst has the most affordable homes ($538k 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	Amherst
People
Population	32,459Highest	11,861Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.9%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.9±3.5Highest 18% above U.S.
	Amherst and Needham 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%	22.4%±3.3Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Needham and Amherst 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%	20.2%±3Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Amherst 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%	65.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.7%±1.5Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Amherst 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.	$153,196±$10kLowest 90% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.	$537,600±$30kLowest 62% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.	$1,462±$256Lowest 3% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$9,773Lowest 213% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	31.4%±9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	4.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1978Highest 2 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	33 minHighest 23% above U.S.
Work from home	32.4%±2.4 U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±5.5 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 282 in MA	#20 of 120 in NH
School district	Needham	Amherst School District · Souhegan Cooperative School District
High school in town	Needham High	Souhegan Coop High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	10.4Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.