What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Lynn has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.1%).

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	Lynn
People
Population	100,998Lowest	101,709Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	37±0.8Highest 8% below MA	36.5±1.2Lowest 9% below MA
	New Bedford and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	23.9%±1.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.1%±1.4Highest MA: 19.4%
	Lynn and New Bedford 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%	13.7%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	New Bedford and Lynn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	17%Lowest MA: 47.3%	24.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±0.6Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$56,981±$3kLowest 45% below MA	$75,043±$3kHighest 28% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$357,300±$6kLowest 36% below MA	$510,100±$23kHighest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,137±$26Lowest 35% below MA	$1,722±$60Highest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,338Lowest 28% below MA	$5,384Highest 10% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	52.6%±3.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	60%±4.1Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	20.6%Highest MA: 10%	13.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	40.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	48.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 26 yrs older than MA	1946Highest 18 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 15% below MA	32 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	5.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	7.9%±1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#263 of 282 in MA	#277 of 282 in MA
School district	New Bedford · Greater New Bedford Regional Vocational Technical	Lynn
High school in town	New Bedford High	Lynn English High
Students per teacherat that high school	13.5Lowest	15.0Highest
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.