Another way of measuring Seattle vs. New England

If you're the kind of football fan who likes to make their weekly NFL game a personal grudge match, how about using some socio-economic data from the federal government to back up your trash-talk?

Just in time for Super Bowl XLIX this Sunday, the folks at the U.S. Census Bureau have compiled a series of demographic facts regarding Boston and Seattle, the hometowns of the two contenders for the Lombardi Trophy, the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks.

Let's go to the tape:

Population

Boston is the clear-cut winner in this category, coming in 10th on the list of the nation's most populous metropolitan areas compared to Seattle at No. 15. But Seattle's population is growing faster. The estimated population of the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue area in the summer of 2013 was around 3.6 million compared to the half-million or so living there during the Seahawks' first season in 1976.

Education

Given the number of colleges and universities in the greater Boston area, it's not a huge surprise that Beantown would edge out Seattle in this category. Nearly 45 percent of metro Boston residents age 25 and older have a bachelor's degree or higher, while over 91 percent have at least graduated from high school. Seattle has a slightly better percentage of high school graduates, but just over 39 percent of area residents have a bachelor's degree or higher.

Median household income

The greater Boston area takes the trophy here with $72,907 in median household income compared to $67,479 in metro Seattle. Both easily beat the national median of $52,250.

Median home value

Metro Boston wins this one, too, with a median value of $363,200 for owner-occupied homes compared to Seattle's $307,900. But again, both areas trounce the national median value of $173,900.

Commute times

Seattle edges out Boston on this metric. On average, Seattle residents take 28.6 minutes to get to work, compared to 30 minutes for Bostonians. Both cities, however, are slower than the national average commute of 25.8 minutes.

Will these stats relate in any way to what takes place in Phoenix on Sunday? Of course not. But if the game turns out to be another runaway, it'll give you something else to talk about.