What stands out worked out from the figures below

Erving has the most affordable homes ($272k median).

Topsfield has the most people working from home (29.4%).

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	Erving	Topsfield
People
Population	1,703Lowest	6,564Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	-7.5%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	43.3±2.4Highest 8% above MA	42.2±1.8Lowest 6% above MA
	Erving and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.3%±3.2Lowest MA: 19.4%	24.8%±4.7Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	22.6%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%	22.4%±3.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Erving and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest MA: 47.3%	71.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.8%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.8%±1.9Highest MA: 7.9%
	Topsfield and Erving are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$77,656±$9kLowest 25% below MA	$195,718±$16kHighest 88% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$271,800±$20kLowest 52% below MA	$853,400±$40kHighest 52% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,163±$213Highest 34% below MA	$1,115±$538Lowest 37% below MA
	Erving and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,870Lowest 69% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	46.5%±23Highest MA: 51.8%	41.9%±40.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Erving and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.2%Lowest MA: 10%	7.5%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.5%Lowest MA: 62.5%	90.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1957Lowest 7 yrs older than MA	1969Highest 5 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	28 minHighest 4% below MA	28 minLowest 5% below MA
Work from home	3.6%±2Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.4%±8.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	—	#172 of 282 in MA
School district	Erving	Topsfield
High school in town	None in town	None in town
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.