What stands out worked out from the figures below

Deerfield has the most affordable homes ($415k median).

Newburyport has grown the fastest since 2010 (+5%).

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	Deerfield	Newburyport
People
Population	5,158Lowest	18,652Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-0.7%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+5%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	51.8±3.6Highest 30% above MA	49.8±2.9Lowest 25% above MA
	Deerfield and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±3.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	19.9%±3.5Highest MA: 19.4%
	Newburyport and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.9%±4.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.4%±2.7Highest MA: 17.9%
	Newburyport and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	44.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%	67%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	7.9%±3.4Highest MA: 7.9%	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Deerfield and Newburyport are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$106,136±$14kLowest about the MA average	$139,625±$21kHighest 34% above MA
	Newburyport and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$414,900±$37kLowest 26% below MA	$834,000±$37kHighest 48% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,334±$318Lowest 24% below MA	$1,592±$221Highest 10% below MA
	Newburyport and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,824Lowest about the MA average	$7,944Highest 33% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	26.1%±15.1Lowest MA: 51.8%	46.4%±9.7Highest MA: 51.8%
	Newburyport and Deerfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	7.8%Highest MA: 10%	5%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	78.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	77.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1972Highest 8 yrs newer than MA	1954Lowest 10 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	18 minLowest 40% below MA	32 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	17.5%±6.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	28.9%±4Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#156 of 282 in MA	#56 of 282 in MA
School district	Deerfield · Frontier	Newburyport
High school in town	Frontier Regional	Newburyport High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.1Highest	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.