What stands out worked out from the figures below

Springfield has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

Boston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.4%).

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	Springfield	Boston
People
Population	154,749Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+1.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.4%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±0.5Highest 16% below MA	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
	Springfield and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.2%±0.9Highest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	13.2%±0.7Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Springfield and Boston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	20.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.5%±0.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$52,656±$2kLowest 49% below MA	$97,344±$2kHighest 6% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,000±$4kLowest 56% below MA	$731,700±$10kHighest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,144±$55Lowest 35% below MA	$2,147±$25Highest 22% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,695Lowest 38% below MA	$4,456Highest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.7%±3.1Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	25.8%Highest MA: 10%	16.6%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	49.6%Highest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Highest 12 yrs older than MA	1947Lowest 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	20 minLowest 31% below MA	30 minHighest 4% above MA
Work from home	8.4%±0.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#276 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Springfield	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Springfield Central High	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	12.2Lowest	18.7Highest
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.