What stands out worked out from the figures below

Fairhaven has the most affordable homes ($447k median).

Reading has grown the fastest since 2010 (+3.1%).

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	Fairhaven	Reading
People
Population	15,903Lowest	25,612Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+0.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+3.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	48.5±3.4Highest 21% above MA	43.7±2.3Lowest 9% above MA
	Fairhaven and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	22.8%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	24.9%±2.9Highest MA: 17.9%	20.7%±2.3Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Fairhaven and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%	66.3%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.3%±1Highest MA: 7.9%	2.9%±0.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Fairhaven and Reading are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$95,965±$19kLowest 8% below MA	$165,912±$13kHighest 60% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$446,700±$19kLowest 21% below MA	$809,000±$22kHighest 44% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,118±$79Lowest 37% below MA	$1,991±$273Highest 13% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$3,566Lowest 40% below MA	$9,320Highest 56% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.1%±14Highest MA: 51.8%	27.8%±9.1Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest MA: 10%	3.2%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	82.4%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA	1960Highest 4 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	31 minHighest 6% above MA
Work from home	11.4%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.2%±4.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#126 of 282 in MA	#50 of 282 in MA
School district	Fairhaven	Reading
High school in town	Fairhaven High	Reading Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.4Lowest	12.1Highest
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.