What stands out worked out from the figures below

Rochester has the most affordable homes ($599k 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	Rochester	Needham
People
Population	5,837Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+9.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±6Highest 16% above MA	43.1±1.6Lowest 8% above MA
	Rochester and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.1%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	27.5%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	20.1%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%	17.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Rochester and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	43.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	81.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	5.4%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Needham and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$120,273±$12kLowest 16% above MA	$214,308±$13kHighest 106% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$599,100±$31kLowest 7% above MA	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 111% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,432±$743Lowest 19% below MA	$2,409±$183Highest 37% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,530Lowest 9% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.9%±8.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Needham and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest MA: 10%	3.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	83.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA	1965Lowest 1 yr newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	37 minHighest 25% above MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	8.3%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#104 of 282 in MA	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester	Needham
High school in town	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.1Lowest	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.