What stands out worked out from the figures below

Danvers has the most people working from home (19.3%).

Rochester has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.3%).

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	Rochester
People
Population	28,098Highest	5,837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±3Lowest 13% above MA	46.5±6Highest 16% above MA
	Rochester 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%	20.1%±4.6Highest MA: 19.4%
	Rochester 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%	20.1%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Danvers and Rochester 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%	43.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4%±1.3 MA: 7.9%	4%±1.5 MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$125,395±$10kHighest 21% above MA	$120,273±$12kLowest 16% above MA
	Danvers and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$644,200±$23kHighest 15% above MA	$599,100±$31kLowest 7% above MA
	Danvers and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,076±$192Highest 18% above MA	$1,432±$743Lowest 19% below MA
	Danvers and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,654Highest 11% above MA	$6,530Lowest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	48.8%±8.6Highest MA: 51.8%	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Danvers and Rochester 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%	5.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	69.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Lowest 1 yr older than MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minLowest about the MA average	37 minHighest 25% above MA
Work from home	19.3%±3.6Highest MA: 18.6%	8.3%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#91 of 282 in MA	#104 of 282 in MA
School district	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School District · Danvers	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester
High school in town	Essex North Shore Agricultural and Technical School	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.8Highest	9.1Lowest
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.