What stands out worked out from the figures below

Windham has the most affordable homes ($210k 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	Windham	Needham
People
Population	23,961Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	33.7±1.9Lowest 13% below U.S.	43.1±1.6Highest 11% above U.S.
Kids under 18	20.1%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	14.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2%
	Needham and Windham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	15.2%±1.8Highest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$55,736±$5kLowest 31% below U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,800±$9kLowest 37% below U.S.	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,107±$69Lowest 22% below U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,633Lowest 49% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.1%±8.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Windham and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	20.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	47.4%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1956Lowest 24 yrs older than U.S.	1965Highest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 8% below U.S.	28 minHighest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	6.1%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#143 of 149 in CT	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Connecticut Technical Education and Career System · Eastern Connecticut Regional Educational Service Center (EAS	Needham
High school in town	Windham High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.8Lowest	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.