How old are Melrolsians? Melrose is considered by many a city of young families with a strong senior population, and that perception bears out according to census statistics.
A community's age counts for a lot. It helps the local government determine what types of services to offer in good times and where to cut back during a downturn.
As previously reported, Melrose is just about at the state average for percentage of households with kids under 18. According to a breakdown of population by age, Melrose's reputation as a city close to Boston for young professionals and a suburban settling spot for young families hold mainly true, and in line with nearby communities such as Wakefield and Stoneham.
The numbers below were provided by the 2010 U.S. Census, except for the Boston neighborhood breakdowns, which were determined using the City of Boston's myNeighborhood Viewer tool, and represent approximations for each community.
| Community | % ages 0-9 |
% ages 10-19 |
% ages 20-34 |
% ages 35-54 |
% ages 55-64 |
% ages 65+ |
| Arlington | 12.5 | 9.4 | 16 | 32.6 | 12.8 | 15.9 |
| Boston | 9.5 | 12.4 | 35 | 23.8 | 9.1 | 10.1 |
| *Charlestown | 11 | 6.7 | 33.5 | 28.4 | 10.2 | 10.2 |
| *Back Bay | 5.1 | 5.6 | 50.7 | 19.7 | 9.3 | 9.6 |
| *Beacon Hill | 4.1 | 11.9 | 42.8 | 19.9 | 9.7 | 11.5 |
| *South End | 8 | 5.9 | 33.8 | 31.2 | 10.5 | 10.6 |
| Cambridge | 7.2 | 9.2 | 44.5 | 20.8 | 8.8 | 9.6 |
| Chelsea | 12.5 | 15.2 | 27.7 | 27.4 | 8.1 | 8.8 |
| Everett | 11.9 | 12.6 | 24 | 29.3 | 9.7 | 13.5 |
| Lynnfield | 11.9 | 15.4 | 10.1 | 31.3 | 13.7 | 18.1 |
| Malden | 11.4 | 10.4 | 26.2 | 29.5 | 10.8 | 11.7 |
| Medford | 9.5 | 10.3 | 26.3 | 27.4 | 11.2 | 15.2 |
| Melrose | 12.2 | 11.3 | 16.1 | 31.2 | 13.3 | 15.9 |
| Reading | 13.4 | 13.6 | 14.2 | 31.9 | 13.1 | 14.2 |
| Revere | 11.7 | 11.1 | 23 | 28.9 | 10.8 | 14.6 |
| Saugus | 9.7 | 11.6 | 16.7 | 30.2 | 15.9 | 17.5 |
| Somerville | 7.7 | 7.2 | 43.6 | 24.6 | 8 | 8.2 |
| Stoneham | 10.6 | 11 | 15.9 | 30 | 14 | 18.6 |
| Wakefield | 11.5 | 11.7 | 17 | 31.6 | 13.5 | 14.7 |
| Winchester | 15.5 | 14.7 | 8.8 | 32.3 | 12.4 | 16.3 |
| Woburn | 11.2 | 10.4 | 20.8 | 29.9 | 11.8 | 15.9 |
