What stands out worked out from the figures below

Painted Post has the most affordable homes ($156k median).

Waltham has the most expensive homes ($330k 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	Painted Post	Waltham
People
Population	1,824Highest	452Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-2.3% U.S.: +7.4%	—
Median age	45.7±5.2Lowest 17% above U.S.	60.8±7.3Highest 56% above U.S.
Kids under 18	16.3%±4.5Highest U.S.: 22%	12.8%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Painted Post and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.3%±4.1Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	45.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	39%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	3.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Waltham and Painted Post are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$62,891±$14kLowest 22% below U.S.	$97,500±$14kHighest 21% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$155,900±$13kLowest 53% below U.S.	$329,700±$51kHighest about the U.S. average
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$839±$281Lowest 41% below U.S.	$1,096±$113Highest 22% below U.S.
	Waltham and Painted Post are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,442Lowest 74% above U.S.	$5,714Highest 83% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.4%±18.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	29.2%±58.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Painted Post and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	5.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	63.5%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	86.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 37% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	13.8%±8.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.6%±5.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%
	Waltham and Painted Post are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.