What stands out worked out from the figures below

Chester has the most affordable homes ($282k 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	Chester	Marblehead
People
Population	1,240Lowest	20,413Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-8.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.2%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.9±3.7Lowest 15% above MA	49.1±2Highest 23% above MA
	Marblehead and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	24.1%±8.5Highest MA: 19.4%	22.3%±2.5Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Chester and Marblehead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.5%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%	22.7%±2.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	27.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	78.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.4%±1.2Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Marblehead and Chester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$89,390±$6kLowest 14% below MA	$182,132±$28kHighest 75% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$281,900±$14kLowest 50% below MA	$943,900±$31kHighest 68% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,104±$71Lowest 37% below MA	$1,764±$147Highest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,522Lowest 25% below MA	$8,309Highest 39% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54.1%±22.6Highest MA: 51.8%	49.5%±8.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Chester and Marblehead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	1.8%Lowest MA: 10%	4.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	82.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1951Highest 13 yrs older than MA	1944Lowest 20 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 9% above MA	33 minHighest 13% above MA
Work from home	7%±2.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	34%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#47 of 282 in MA
School district	Gateway	Marblehead
High school in town	None in town	Marblehead High
Students per teacherat that high school	—	10.7
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.