What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bath has the most affordable homes ($311k median).

Danvers has the most expensive 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	Bath	Danvers
People
Population	8,815Lowest	28,098Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	45.4±3Highest 17% above U.S.	45.3±3Lowest 16% above U.S.
	Bath and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	15.5%±3.7Lowest U.S.: 22%	17.2%±2Highest U.S.: 22%
	Danvers and Bath are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	25.2%±4.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%	22.6%±2.2Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Bath and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	42.5%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	48.4%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.5%±2Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Bath and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$69,390±$12kLowest 14% below U.S.	$125,395±$10kHighest 55% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$310,900±$30kLowest 7% below U.S.	$644,200±$23kHighest 94% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,044±$116Lowest 26% below U.S.	$2,076±$192Highest 47% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,847Lowest 23% above U.S.	$6,654Highest 113% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.3%±15.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%	48.8%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Bath and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.4%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	64.3%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	69.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1938Lowest 42 yrs older than U.S.	1963Highest 17 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	24 minLowest 9% below U.S.	28 minHighest 8% above U.S.
Work from home	19.3%±6 U.S.: 15.1%	19.3%±3.6 U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#31 of 133 in ME	#91 of 282 in MA
School district	RSU 01 - LKRSU	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers
High school in town	Morse High School	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School
Students per teacherat that high school	14.8Highest	12.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.