What stands out worked out from the figures below

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k median).

Winchester has the most affordable homes ($250k 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	Winchester
People
Population	32,459Highest	10,284Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.	49.1±6.2Highest 26% above U.S.
	Winchester 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%	15.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	27.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	27.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Winchester 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.	$66,519±$12kLowest 18% below U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.	$249,500±$17kLowest 25% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.	$1,174±$116Lowest 17% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.	$4,780Lowest 53% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.9%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	12.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	65.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	26 minLowest about the U.S. average
Work from home	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%	6.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#19 of 282 in MA	#97 of 149 in CT
School district	Needham	Explorations District · Regional School District 07
High school in town	Needham High	Northwestern Regional High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.9Highest	9.7Lowest
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.