What stands out worked out from the figures below

Roxbury has the shortest commute (21 min average).

Brookline has the most people working from home (20.6%).

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	Roxbury	Brookline
People
Population	299Lowest	531Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+1.9% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	43.2±17.7Lowest 11% above U.S.	45.1±2.7Highest 16% above U.S.
	Brookline and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	14.7%±11.5Lowest U.S.: 22%	20%±6Highest U.S.: 22%
	Brookline and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.4%±10.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	19.6%±4.2Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brookline and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	41.1%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	13.4%±15.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	3.2%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Roxbury and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,226±$14kLowest 14% below U.S.	$80,833±$16kHighest about the U.S. average
	Brookline and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$323,100±$219kHighest about the U.S. average	$290,700±$37kLowest 13% below U.S.
	Roxbury and Brookline are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	—	$1,732±$232 23% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,787Highest 86% above U.S.	$5,000Lowest 60% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	47.8%±94.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Brookline and Roxbury are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	95.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	84.9%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1969Lowest 11 yrs older than U.S.	1975Highest 5 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 21% below U.S.	28 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	0.7%±1.4Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	20.6%±5.2Highest U.S.: 15.1%
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.