What stands out worked out from the figures below

Standish has the most affordable homes ($336k median).

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k median).

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	Standish	Needham
People
Population	10,662Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.7%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+11.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.5±2.8Lowest 4% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	15.2%±2.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Needham and Standish are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	36%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.6%±1.7Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$104,593±$15kLowest 30% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$336,000±$18kLowest about the U.S. average	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$983±$453Lowest 30% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,005Lowest 4% below U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.4%±22.3Highest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Standish and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.3%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	91.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1980Highest same as U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minHighest 11% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	13.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#18 of 133 in ME	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 06/MSAD 06	Needham
High school in town	Bonny Eagle High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	11.9Lowest
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.