What stands out worked out from the figures below

Danvers has the most affordable homes ($644k median).

Bedford has the most people working from home (32.4%).

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	Danvers	Bedford
People
Population	28,098Highest	14,727Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3Highest 13% above MA	44.3±1.6Lowest 11% above MA
	Danvers and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.8%±2.7Highest MA: 19.4%
	Bedford and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±2.2Highest MA: 17.9%	19.1%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Danvers and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	69.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.5%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Bedford and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,395±$10kLowest 21% above MA	$172,400±$23kHighest 66% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$644,200±$23kLowest 15% above MA	$898,500±$43kHighest 60% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,076±$192Lowest 18% above MA	$2,622±$327Highest 49% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,654Lowest 11% above MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	42%±9.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Danvers and Bedford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	5.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest about the MA average	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	19.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	32.4%±6.2Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#91 of 282 in MA	#7 of 282 in MA
School district	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers	Bedford
High school in town	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School	Bedford High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.2Lowest
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.