What stands out worked out from the figures below

Douglas has the most people working from home (20.9%).

Peabody has the most expensive homes ($596k 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	Douglas	Peabody
People
Population	9,207Lowest	54,695Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44±2.6Lowest 10% above MA	45.3±2.4Highest 13% above MA
	Peabody and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.2%±3.8Highest MA: 19.4%	18.7%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Douglas and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.4%±3.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.3%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	41.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±2.3Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Douglas and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$152,267±$10kHighest 46% above MA	$96,657±$4kLowest 7% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$470,600±$29kLowest 16% below MA	$596,200±$12kHighest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,503±$697Lowest 15% below MA	$1,950±$99Highest 11% above MA
	Peabody and Douglas are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,338Highest 6% above MA	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	33.9%±17.4Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	4.8%Lowest MA: 10%	7.7%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	83.8%Highest MA: 62.5%	65.6%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1986Highest 22 yrs newer than MA	1966Lowest 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	34 minHighest 16% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	20.9%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#177 of 282 in MA	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Douglas	Peabody
High school in town	Douglas High School	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	7.2Lowest	10.3Highest
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.