What stands out worked out from the figures below

Randolph has the most affordable homes ($279k 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	Randolph	Needham
People
Population	4,843Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.1%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.4±7.4Lowest 4% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.3%±4.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Randolph and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	40.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±2.5Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$76,758±$6kLowest 5% below U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$278,700±$38kLowest 16% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,172±$173Lowest 17% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,698Lowest 51% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±17.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Randolph are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	67.2%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1971Highest 9 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 22% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	12.9%±4.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#55 of 70 in VT	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Orange Southwest Unified Union School District #59	Needham
High school in town	Randolph Union High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.4Lowest	11.9Highest
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.