What stands out worked out from the figures below

Woburn has the most expensive homes ($674k median).

Marlborough has the most affordable homes ($513k 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	Woburn	Marlborough
People
Population	41,939Highest	41,647Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.3±1.6Highest about the MA average	37.5±1.3Lowest 6% below MA
	Woburn and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.9%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2Highest MA: 19.4%
	Marlborough and Woburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.7%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%	14.9%±1.5Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Woburn and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	46.5%Highest MA: 47.3%	40.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.1%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.2%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Woburn and Marlborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$111,185±$9kHighest 7% above MA	$91,968±$9kLowest 12% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$673,500±$17kHighest 20% above MA	$513,100±$28kLowest 9% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,221±$77Highest 26% above MA	$1,871±$123Lowest 6% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,354Lowest 11% below MA	$5,747Highest 4% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.5%±7.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.9%±6.5Highest MA: 51.8%
	Marlborough and Woburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%	9.6%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	55.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	56%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1968Lowest 4 yrs newer than MA	1974Highest 10 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	25 minLowest 13% below MA	30 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	16%±2.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	16.2%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Marlborough and Woburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#169 of 282 in MA	#215 of 282 in MA
School district	Woburn	Assabet Valley Regional Vocational Technical · Marlborough
High school in town	Woburn High	Assabet Valley Vocational High School
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Highest	10.1Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.