What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has the most affordable homes ($430k median).

Needham has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.1%).

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	Northampton	Needham
People
Population	30,962Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA	43.1±1.6Highest 8% above MA
	Needham and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northampton and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA	1965Highest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#159 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Needham
High school in town	Northampton High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	11.9Lowest
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.