What stands out worked out from the figures below

Wolcott has the most affordable homes ($326k 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	Wolcott	Needham
People
Population	16,279Lowest	32,459Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	—	+11.1% U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	44.4±2.5Highest 14% above U.S.	43.1±1.6Lowest 11% above U.S.
	Wolcott and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.4%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 22%	27.5%±2.2Highest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	18.8%±2.8Highest U.S.: 17.2%	17.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Wolcott and Needham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	37%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	81.9%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.3%±1.9Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	5.4%±1.1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Needham and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$110,850±$10kLowest 37% above U.S.	$214,308±$13kHighest 165% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$326,200±$17kLowest about the U.S. average	$1,188,500±$43kHighest 257% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,464±$913Lowest 4% above U.S.	$2,409±$183Highest 70% above U.S.
	Needham and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,799Lowest 86% above U.S.	$10,000+Highest at least 221% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.8%±24.2Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	55.9%±8.5Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Needham and Wolcott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	3.7%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.4%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	83.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.	1965Lowest 15 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 13% above U.S.	28 minLowest 5% above U.S.
Work from home	11.2%±3.1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	32.4%±2.4Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#76 of 149 in CT	#19 of 282 in MA
School district	Wolcott School District	Needham
High school in town	Wolcott High School	Needham High
Students per teacherat that high school	10.1Lowest	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.