What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the oldest population (median age 60.8).

Andover has the most people working from home (29.6%).

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	Waltham	Andover
People
Population	452Lowest	616Highest
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 41% above VT	49.2±5.1Lowest 14% above VT
	Waltham and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±7.4Highest VT: 17.9%	11.5%±4.9Lowest VT: 17.9%
	Waltham and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	45.4%±3.1Highest VT: 21.4%	22.7%±4.3Lowest VT: 21.4%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Lowest VT: 43.8%	43.3%Highest VT: 43.8%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest VT: 7%	2.8%±1.5Lowest VT: 7%
	Waltham and Andover are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$97,500±$14kLowest 20% above VT	$102,500±$38kHighest 26% above VT
	Andover and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$329,700±$51kLowest 4% above VT	$382,900±$68kHighest 21% above VT
	Andover and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113Lowest 11% below VT	$1,389±$364Highest 13% above VT
	Andover and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 13% above VT	$5,190Lowest about the VT average
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Lowest VT: 48.4%	69.4%±47.1Highest VT: 48.4%
	Andover and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Highest VT: 10.1%	4.6%Lowest VT: 10.1%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Highest VT: 73.2%	82.8%Lowest VT: 73.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 10 yrs newer than VT	1980Lowest 4 yrs newer than VT
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 18% above VT	25 minLowest 7% above VT
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Lowest VT: 16.9%	29.6%±12.9Highest VT: 16.9%
	Andover and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

VT 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.