What stands out worked out from the figures below

Burlington has the most people working from home (22.5%).

Peabody has the most affordable homes ($596k 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	Burlington	Peabody
People
Population	26,274Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+7.7%Highest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±2.2Highest 15% above MA	45.3±2.4Lowest 13% above MA
	Burlington and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.1%±2.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.7%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Peabody and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.5Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.3%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Peabody and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.6%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Burlington and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$146,436±$14kHighest 41% above MA	$96,657±$4kLowest 7% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$740,600±$35kHighest 32% above MA	$596,200±$12kLowest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,718±$368Highest 54% above MA	$1,950±$99Lowest 11% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,165Highest about the MA average	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	50.4%±10.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Peabody and Burlington are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.9%Lowest MA: 10%	7.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 5% below MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	22.5%±3.2Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#83 of 282 in MA	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Burlington	Peabody
High school in town	Burlington High	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Highest	10.3Lowest
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.