Compare towns
Danvers vs Peabody vs Thornton
Cost, people, housing, commute and schools, side by side, each benchmarked against the U.S..
What stands out worked out from the figures below
Danvers has the highest household income ($125k).
Peabody has the most kids (18.7% under 18).
Thornton has the most people working from home (29.8%).
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.
| Measure | Danvers | Peabody | Thornton |
|---|---|---|---|
| Your priorities | |||
| People | |||
| Population | 28,098 |
54,695Highest |
2,799Lowest |
| Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census | +6%Lowest U.S.: +7.4% |
+6.3% U.S.: +7.4% |
+8.8%Highest U.S.: +7.4% |
| Median age | 45.3±3Lowest 16% above U.S. |
45.3±2.4Lowest 16% above U.S. |
51.1±3.4Highest 31% above U.S. |
| Thornton and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Kids under 18 | 17.2%±2 U.S.: 22% |
18.7%±1.8Highest U.S.: 22% |
13.9%±4.6Lowest U.S.: 22% |
| Peabody and Danvers are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Age 65+ | 22.6%±2.2 U.S.: 17.2% |
24.3%±1.7Highest U.S.: 17.2% |
19%±4.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2% |
| Peabody 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 U.S.: 35.7% |
35%Lowest U.S.: 35.7% |
46.3% U.S.: 35.7% |
| Enrolled in collegeshare of residents | 4%±1.3Lowest U.S.: 6.4% |
4.4%±0.8 U.S.: 6.4% |
4.8%±2.9Highest U.S.: 6.4% |
| Thornton and Peabody 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 55% above U.S. |
$96,657±$4k 20% above U.S. |
$90,022±$17kLowest 12% above U.S. |
| Home valuemedian, owner-occupied | $644,200±$23kHighest 94% above U.S. |
$596,200±$12k 79% above U.S. |
$351,900±$20kLowest 6% above U.S. |
| Rentmedian gross, monthly | $2,076±$192Highest 47% above U.S. |
$1,950±$99 38% above U.S. |
$1,270±$428Lowest 10% below U.S. |
| Danvers and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Property taxmedian, yearly | $6,654Highest 113% above U.S. |
$5,065 62% above U.S. |
$5,032Lowest 61% above U.S. |
| Renters paying 30%+of income on rent | 48.8%±8.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1% |
58.3%±5.9Highest U.S.: 51.1% |
57.7%±24.7 U.S.: 51.1% |
| Peabody and Thornton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher. | |||
| Below poverty line | 4.8%Lowest U.S.: 12.5% |
7.7% U.S.: 12.5% |
9.2%Highest U.S.: 12.5% |
| Housing | |||
| Homeownersof occupied homes | 69.2% U.S.: 65.2% |
65.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2% |
88.3%Highest U.S.: 65.2% |
| Typical home builtmedian year | 1963Lowest 17 yrs older than U.S. |
1966 14 yrs older than U.S. |
1984Highest 4 yrs newer than U.S. |
| Getting to work | |||
| Average commuteone way | 28 minHighest 8% above U.S. |
26 min about the U.S. average |
23 minLowest 14% below U.S. |
| Work from home | 19.3%±3.6 U.S.: 15.1% |
10.3%±1.6Lowest U.S.: 15.1% |
29.8%±9.7Highest U.S.: 15.1% |
| Thornton 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 | #228 of 282 in MA | #18 of 120 in NH |
| School district | Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers | Peabody | Thornton School District |
| High school in town | Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School | Peabody Veterans Memorial High | None in town |
| Students per teacherat that high school | 12.8Highest |
10.3Lowest |
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| On TownTapestry | |||
| Old photos in Our Story | None yet | None yet | None yet |
U.S. 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.