What stands out worked out from the figures below

Thomaston has the most affordable homes ($283k 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	Thomaston	Needham
People
Population	7,492Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	41.5±7.7Lowest 7% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
	Needham and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±5.2Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Needham and Thomaston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.6%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Thomaston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	34%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Thomaston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$103,218±$15kLowest 28% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$282,600±$23kLowest 15% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,037±$147Lowest 27% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,915Lowest 90% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.9%±22Highest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Thomaston and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	77.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1961Lowest 19 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	7.6%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 149 in CT	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Thomaston School District	—
High school in town	Thomaston High School	—
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7	—
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.