What stands out worked out from the figures below

Raymond has the most affordable homes ($370k median).

Needham has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Raymond	Needham
People
Population	10,900Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.4%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.4±3.8Highest 12% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Raymond and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18%±3.6Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18%±3.3Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Raymond and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	26.4%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.9%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Raymond are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,597±$10kLowest 30% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$370,400±$17kLowest 11% above U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,376±$196Lowest about the U.S. average	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,146Lowest 97% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	24.1%±11.9Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
Below poverty line	6.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.8%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1983Highest 3 yrs newer than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	9.4%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#96 of 120 in NH	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Raymond School District	Needham
High school in town	Raymond High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	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.