What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Jackson has the most affordable homes ($235k 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	Waltham	Jackson
People
Population	452Lowest	1,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	-4.3% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	60.8±7.3Highest 56% above U.S.	56.9±3.6Lowest 46% above U.S.
	Waltham and Jackson 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%	14.6%±3.3Highest U.S.: 22%
	Jackson and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	45.4%±3.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	33.4%±5.3Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	39%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	32.6%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%	1.8%±1.2Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Waltham and Jackson 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.	$77,375±$8kLowest 4% below U.S.
	Waltham and Jackson 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	$235,400±$40kLowest 29% below U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,096±$113Lowest 22% below U.S.	$1,139±$43Highest 19% below U.S.
	Jackson and Waltham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,714Highest 83% above U.S.	$4,165Lowest 34% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	29.2%±58.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	77.8%±44.7Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Jackson and Waltham 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%	7.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	91.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 6 yrs newer than U.S.	1971Lowest 9 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.
Work from home	20.6%±5.7Highest U.S.: 15.1%	11.1%±3Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.