What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the most people working from home (13.4%).

Chapman has the most kids (27.6% under 18).

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	Waltham	Chapman
People
Population	346Lowest	388Highest
Median age	56.4±9.3Highest 26% above ME	45.7±11.4Lowest about the ME average
	Waltham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15%±8.1Lowest ME: 18.1%	27.6%±5.9Highest ME: 18.1%
	Chapman and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	32.9%±4.7Highest ME: 22.4%	27.6%±3.8Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Waltham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.8% ME: 36.2%	22.8% ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.7%±3.5Lowest ME: 5.8%	5.2%±2.6Highest ME: 5.8%
	Chapman and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$71,071±$14kLowest 5% below ME	$93,125±$17kHighest 25% above ME
	Chapman and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$181,300±$22kLowest 39% below ME	$185,700±$22kHighest 37% below ME
	Chapman and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$850±$567 25% below ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,452Lowest 52% below ME	$1,850Highest 39% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	15%±96.7Highest ME: 48.4%	0%±100Lowest ME: 48.4%
	Waltham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	6.4%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Lowest ME: 74.3%	94.5%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 9 yrs newer than ME	1982Lowest 5 yrs newer than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	41 minHighest 67% above ME	23 minLowest 6% below ME
Work from home	13.4%±6.1Highest ME: 15.9%	4.8%±3.5Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Waltham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.