What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Northampton has the most affordable homes ($430k 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	Northampton
People
Population	28,098Lowest	30,962Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3Highest 13% above MA	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA
	Danvers and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	17.2%±2Highest MA: 19.4%	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Danvers and Northampton 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%	20.4%±1.7Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Danvers and Northampton 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%	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,395±$10kHighest 21% above MA	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$644,200±$23kHighest 15% above MA	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,076±$192Highest 18% above MA	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,654Highest 11% above MA	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±8.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton 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%	13.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest about the MA average	21 minLowest 26% below MA
Work from home	19.3%±3.6Lowest MA: 18.6%	24.1%±3.4Highest MA: 18.6%
	Northampton and Danvers 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	#159 of 282 in MA
School district	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural
High school in town	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School	Northampton High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Lowest	14.7Highest
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.