What stands out worked out from the figures below

Auburn has the most affordable homes ($400k median).

Marblehead has the most people working from home (34%).

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	Auburn	Marblehead
People
Population	16,970Lowest	20,413Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.8±1.6Lowest 12% above MA	49.1±2Highest 23% above MA
Kids under 18	21%±2.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.3%±2.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Marblehead and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.9%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.7%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
	Marblehead and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	45.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	78.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Auburn and Marblehead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$116,711±$10kLowest 12% above MA	$182,132±$28kHighest 75% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$400,000±$16kLowest 29% below MA	$943,900±$31kHighest 68% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,467±$155Lowest 17% below MA	$1,764±$147Highest about the MA average
	Marblehead and Auburn are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,289Lowest 12% below MA	$8,309Highest 39% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.4%±10.5Highest MA: 51.8%	49.5%±8.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Auburn and Marblehead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Highest MA: 10%	4.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	79.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1944Lowest 20 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 12% below MA	33 minHighest 13% above MA
Work from home	14.1%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	34%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#106 of 282 in MA	#47 of 282 in MA
School district	Auburn	Marblehead
High school in town	Auburn Senior High	Marblehead High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.1Highest	10.7Lowest
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.