What stands out worked out from the figures below

Bedford has the highest household income ($172k).

Swampscott has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Bedford	Swampscott
People
Population	14,727Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.3±1.6Lowest 11% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.8%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Bedford and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	19.1%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	69.6%Highest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Bedford and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$172,400±$23kHighest 66% above MA	$134,386±$23kLowest 29% above MA
	Bedford and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$898,500±$43kHighest 60% above MA	$771,100±$41kLowest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,622±$327Highest 49% above MA	$2,303±$143Lowest 31% above MA
	Bedford and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$7,936Lowest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	42%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.5%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	68.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	26 minLowest 11% below MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	32.4%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Bedford and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#7 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Bedford	Swampscott
High school in town	Bedford High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.2Lowest	11.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	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.