What stands out worked out from the figures below

Arlington has the most people working from home (34.5%).

Danvers has the most affordable homes ($644k 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	Arlington	Danvers
People
Population	46,350Highest	28,098Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.1%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.6±1.3Lowest 4% above MA	45.3±3Highest 13% above MA
	Danvers and Arlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.5%±1.7Highest MA: 19.4%	17.2%±2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Arlington and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.3%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	76.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	48.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Arlington and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$150,701±$5kHighest 45% above MA	$125,395±$10kLowest 21% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$933,800±$23kHighest 66% above MA	$644,200±$23kLowest 15% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,082±$76Highest 18% above MA	$2,076±$192Lowest 18% above MA
	Arlington and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$9,604Highest 60% above MA	$6,654Lowest 11% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35%±4.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	48.8%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	5.4%Highest MA: 10%	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	61.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	69.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 11% above MA	28 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	34.5%±2.8Highest MA: 18.6%	19.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#29 of 282 in MA	#91 of 282 in MA
School district	Arlington	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers
High school in town	Arlington High	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
Students per teacherat that high school	13.6Highest	12.8Lowest
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.