What stands out worked out from the figures below

Newton has the most people working from home (32.2%).

Webster has the most affordable homes ($362k 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	Webster
People
Population	89,044Highest	17,748Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.1±0.9Highest 5% above MA	39.9±2.9Lowest about the MA average
	Newton and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1Highest MA: 19.4%	19.6%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Newton and Webster are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±0.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.6%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Webster and Newton 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%	25.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.1%±0.7Highest MA: 7.9%	5.8%±1.6Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$190,304±$9kHighest 83% above MA	$72,895±$6kLowest 30% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$1,264,900±$43kHighest 125% above MA	$361,500±$12kLowest 36% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,370±$81Highest 35% above MA	$1,228±$81Lowest 30% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$3,999Lowest 33% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	43.3%±4.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	45.7%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Webster and Newton 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%	12.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70%Highest MA: 62.5%	59.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1962Highest 2 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 9% below MA	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	32.2%±2Highest MA: 18.6%	8%±2.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#25 of 282 in MA	#271 of 282 in MA
School district	Newton	Webster
High school in town	Newton North High	Bartlett High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	11.6Highest
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.