What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the most expensive homes ($1265k median).

Douglas has the most affordable homes ($471k 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	Newton	Douglas
People
Population	89,044Highest	9,207Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±0.9Lowest 5% above MA	44±2.6Highest 10% above MA
	Douglas and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Newton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±0.9Highest MA: 17.9%	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Newton and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	81.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	41.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.1%±0.7Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±2.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$190,304±$9kHighest 83% above MA	$152,267±$10kLowest 46% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,264,900±$43kHighest 125% above MA	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,370±$81Highest 35% above MA	$1,503±$697Lowest 15% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$6,338Lowest 6% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±4.5Highest MA: 51.8%	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Newton and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%	4.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 9% below MA	34 minHighest 16% above MA
Work from home	32.2%±2Highest MA: 18.6%	20.9%±4.9Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#25 of 282 in MA	#177 of 282 in MA
School district	Newton	Douglas
High school in town	Newton North High	Douglas High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	7.2Lowest
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.