What stands out worked out from the figures below

Watertown has the most people working from home (29.1%).

Boston has the most renters (64.3% rent).

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	Watertown	Boston
People
Population	35,543Lowest	666,442Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+9.4% MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.4±1.3Highest about the MA average	33.3±0.2Lowest 17% below MA
Kids under 18	14.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 19.4%	15.1%±0.3Highest MA: 19.4%
	Boston and Watertown are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.3%±1.8Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±0.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	66.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	54.9%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	15%±0.3Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$126,265±$6kHighest 21% above MA	$97,344±$2kLowest 6% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$784,600±$31kHighest 40% above MA	$731,700±$10kLowest 30% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,502±$107Highest 42% above MA	$2,147±$25Lowest 22% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,799Highest 13% above MA	$4,456Lowest 26% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42.7%±5.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±1.2Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.5%Lowest MA: 10%	16.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.7%Highest MA: 62.5%	35.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1947 17 yrs older than MA	1947 17 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest 5% below MA	30 minHighest 4% above MA
Work from home	29.1%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	21.3%±0.5Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#171 of 282 in MA	#258 of 282 in MA
School district	Watertown	Edward M. Kennedy Academy for Health Careers: A Horace Mann · Boston
High school in town	Watertown High	Boston Latin School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Lowest	18.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

MA 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.