What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph Town has the most affordable homes ($496k median).

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k 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	Randolph Town	Needham
People
Population	34,878Highest	32,459Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±1.8Lowest 3% above MA	43.1±1.6Highest 8% above MA
	Needham and Randolph Town are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.3%±2Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	18.4%±1.9Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Randolph Town and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	9%±1.8Highest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$109,573±$6kLowest 5% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$496,400±$21kLowest 12% below MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,103±$98Lowest 19% above MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,644Lowest 6% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	62.1%±10.4Highest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Randolph Town and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	71.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 27% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	15.1%±3.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#260 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Randolph	Needham
High school in town	Randolph High	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.2Highest	11.9Lowest
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.