What stands out worked out from the figures below

Worcester has the most affordable homes ($374k median).

Malden has the most people working from home (19.8%).

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	Worcester	Malden
People
Population	207,055Highest	65,906Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+14.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+11.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	33.9±0.5Lowest 15% below MA	35.8±1Highest 11% below MA
Kids under 18	19.6%±0.8Highest MA: 19.4%	18.2%±1.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Worcester and Malden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	13.3%±0.6Highest MA: 17.9%	13%±1.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Worcester and Malden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	45.1%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14.1%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	9.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$70,102±$2kLowest 33% below MA	$100,606±$6kHighest 3% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$374,400±$7kLowest 33% below MA	$633,500±$26kHighest 13% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,487±$38Lowest 16% below MA	$2,204±$62Highest 25% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,733Lowest 21% below MA	$4,995Highest 17% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.2%±2.9Highest MA: 51.8%	51.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Worcester and Malden are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	19.6%Highest MA: 10%	11.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	42.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	41.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Highest 13 yrs older than MA	1950Lowest 14 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 17% below MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	11.5%±1Lowest MA: 18.6%	19.8%±2.3Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#266 of 282 in MA	#184 of 282 in MA
School district	Ma Academy for Math and Science · Worcester	Malden
High school in town	South High Community	Malden High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.6Lowest	16.1Highest
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.