What stands out worked out from the figures below

Brewer has the most affordable homes ($245k median).

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	Brewer	Swampscott
People
Population	9,652Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	40.1±4.8Lowest 3% above U.S.	44.5±3.5Highest 14% above U.S.
	Swampscott and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	20.9%±4.3Highest U.S.: 22%	20.1%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 22%
	Brewer and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.4%±3.6Highest U.S.: 17.2%	20.4%±2.6Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Brewer and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	62.2%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.7%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%	4.7%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 6.4%
	Brewer and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$66,613±$9kLowest 17% below U.S.	$134,386±$23kHighest 66% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$245,300±$21kLowest 26% below U.S.	$771,100±$41kHighest 132% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,086±$54Lowest 23% below U.S.	$2,303±$143Highest 63% above U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,374Lowest 8% above U.S.	$7,936Highest 154% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	55.7%±13.3Lowest U.S.: 51.1%	57%±14.2Highest U.S.: 51.1%
	Swampscott and Brewer are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	12.5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	7.1%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	59.7%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	75.9%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1959Highest 21 yrs older than U.S.	1955Lowest 25 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	17 minLowest 36% below U.S.	34 minHighest 30% above U.S.
Work from home	6.9%±2.8Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	27.2%±4.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#32 of 133 in ME	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Brewer Public Schools	Swampscott
High school in town	Brewer High School	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.0Highest	11.7Lowest
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.