What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northbridge has the most affordable homes ($449k 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	Northbridge	Needham
People
Population	16,458Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.8±2.6Highest 9% above MA	43.1±1.6Lowest 8% above MA
	Northbridge and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	16.4%±2.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Needham and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Needham and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,319±$19kLowest 7% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$448,600±$15kLowest 20% below MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,207±$102Lowest 31% below MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,821Lowest 20% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.2%±9.8Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Needham and Northbridge are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	70.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minHighest 7% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	16.2%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#226 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Northbridge	Needham
High school in town	Northbridge High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.8Lowest	11.9Highest
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.