What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northborough has the highest household income ($153k).

Marlborough has the most renters (44% rent).

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	Northborough	Marlborough
People
Population	15,750Lowest	41,647Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.2%Highest MA: +7.4%	+8.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45±3Highest 13% above MA	37.5±1.3Lowest 6% below MA
Kids under 18	21.6%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Northborough and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.7%±2.3Highest MA: 17.9%	14.9%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Northborough and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	65.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	40.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.2%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Northborough and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$153,199±$19kHighest 47% above MA	$91,968±$9kLowest 12% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$620,000±$24kHighest 10% above MA	$513,100±$28kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,919±$269Highest 9% above MA	$1,871±$123Lowest 6% above MA
	Northborough and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,983Highest 33% above MA	$5,747Lowest 4% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.1%±16.3Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.9%±6.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Marlborough and Northborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%	9.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	56%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest 16 yrs newer than MA	1974Lowest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	30 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	22.5%±5.3Highest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Northborough and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#35 of 282 in MA	#215 of 282 in MA
School district	Northborough · Northboro-Southboro	Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Marlborough
High school in town	Algonquin Regional High	Assabet Valley Vocational High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Highest	10.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.