What stands out worked out from the figures below

New Bedford has the most affordable homes ($357k median).

Lowell has the most people working from home (10.6%).

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	New Bedford	Lowell
People
Population	100,998Lowest	118,368Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	37±0.8Highest 8% below MA	35.6±0.8Lowest 11% below MA
	New Bedford and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.9%±1.2Highest MA: 19.4%	21.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
	New Bedford and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±0.9Highest MA: 17.9%	12.6%±0.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17%Lowest MA: 47.3%	30%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	9.7%±0.6Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,981±$3kLowest 45% below MA	$78,658±$4kHighest 24% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$357,300±$6kLowest 36% below MA	$429,200±$11kHighest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA	$1,625±$40Highest 8% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,338Lowest 28% below MA	$4,499Highest 25% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±3.2Highest MA: 51.8%	52.4%±3.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	New Bedford and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest MA: 10%	16.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	43.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1953Highest 11 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	28 minHighest 4% below MA
Work from home	5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	10.6%±1.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#263 of 282 in MA	#255 of 282 in MA
School district	New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical	Lowell
High school in town	New Bedford High	Lowell High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	14.8Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.