What stands out worked out from the figures below

Danvers has grown the fastest since 2010 (+6%).

Montague has the most affordable homes ($282k 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	Danvers	Montague
People
Population	28,098Highest	8,482Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+1.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3Highest 13% above MA	44.3±3.1Lowest 11% above MA
	Danvers and Montague 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%	19%±2.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Montague and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	23.5%±3.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Montague and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.4%Highest MA: 47.3%	37.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Danvers and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,395±$10kHighest 21% above MA	$70,510±$12kLowest 32% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$644,200±$23kHighest 15% above MA	$282,100±$17kLowest 50% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,076±$192Highest 18% above MA	$1,207±$115Lowest 31% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,654Highest 11% above MA	$3,922Lowest 35% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	64.6%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%
	Montague and Danvers 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%	11.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	62.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1951Lowest 13 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest about the MA average	21 minLowest 28% below MA
Work from home	19.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	14.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Danvers and Montague are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#91 of 282 in MA	#265 of 282 in MA
School district	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers	Franklin County Regional Vocational Technical · Gill-Montague
High school in town	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School	Franklin County Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	11.7Lowest
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.