What stands out worked out from the figures below

Crystal has the most kids (16.2% under 18).

Topsfield has the most people working from home (5.1%).

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	Crystal	Topsfield
People
Population	247Highest	214Lowest
Median age	63.2±8.4Lowest 41% above ME	63.5±4.9Highest 42% above ME
	Topsfield and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.2%±11.8Highest ME: 18.1%	13.1%±10.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Crystal and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	49%±5.3Highest ME: 22.4%	44.9%±12.5Lowest ME: 22.4%
	Crystal and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	22.9%Highest ME: 36.2%	14.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	0%±6.3Lowest ME: 5.8%	0.9%±5.3Highest ME: 5.8%
	Topsfield and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$48,125±$13k 36% below ME	$48,125±$16k 36% below ME
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$129,200±$60kLowest 56% below ME	$141,700±$32kHighest 52% below ME
	Topsfield and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,563±$922 37% above ME	—
Property taxmedian, yearly	$943Lowest 69% below ME	$957Highest 68% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	14.3%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	14.7%Highest ME: 10.7%	13.1%Lowest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	92.8%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1974Highest 3 yrs older than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 10% above ME	34 minHighest 39% above ME
Work from home	0%±15.1Lowest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±6.2Highest ME: 15.9%
	Topsfield and Crystal are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	East Range CSD
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in Our Story	None yet	None yet

ME 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.