What stands out worked out from the figures below

Winchester has the most affordable homes ($250k median).

Needham has the most expensive homes ($1189k 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	Winchester	Needham
People
Population	10,284Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±6.2Highest 26% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Winchester and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.4%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	27.4%±5.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.8%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,519±$12kLowest 18% below U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$249,500±$17kLowest 25% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,174±$116Lowest 17% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,780Lowest 53% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.9%±15.8Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Winchester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	65.8%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest about the U.S. average	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#97 of 149 in CT	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Explorations District · Regional School District 07	Needham
High school in town	Northwestern Regional High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	11.9Highest
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.