What stands out worked out from the figures below

Waltham has the most people working from home (20.6%).

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	452Highest	388Lowest
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 56% above U.S.	45.7±11.4Lowest 17% above U.S.
	Waltham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	12.8%±7.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.6%±5.9Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	45.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	27.6%±3.8Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	22.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.2%±2.6Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	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	$97,500±$14kHighest 21% above U.S.	$93,125±$17kLowest 15% above U.S.
	Waltham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$329,700±$51kHighest about the U.S. average	$185,700±$22kLowest 44% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113 22% below U.S.	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 83% above U.S.	$1,850Lowest 41% below U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Highest U.S.: 51.1%	0%±100Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Waltham and Chapman are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.3%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	6.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	94.5%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1982Lowest 2 yrs newer than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.	23 minLowest 12% below U.S.
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	4.8%±3.5Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
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.