What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Newburyport has the most people working from home (28.9%).

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	Newburyport
People
Population	28,098Highest	18,652Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+5%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3Lowest 13% above MA	49.8±2.9Highest 25% above MA
	Newburyport and Danvers 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%	19.9%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Newburyport 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%	24.4%±2.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Newburyport 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%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.3Highest MA: 7.9%	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Danvers and Newburyport 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	$139,625±$21kHighest 34% above MA
	Newburyport and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$644,200±$23kLowest 15% above MA	$834,000±$37kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,076±$192Highest 18% above MA	$1,592±$221Lowest 10% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,654Lowest 11% above MA	$7,944Highest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	46.4%±9.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Danvers and Newburyport 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%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	77.5%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest about the MA average	32 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	19.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	28.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#91 of 282 in MA	#56 of 282 in MA
School district	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers	Newburyport
High school in town	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School	Newburyport High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	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.