What stands out worked out from the figures below

Foxborough has the most affordable homes ($606k median).

Swampscott has the most people working from home (27.2%).

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	Foxborough	Swampscott
People
Population	18,615Highest	15,277Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+10.4%Highest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±1.9Lowest 6% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott and Foxborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22%±3.1Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Foxborough and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	17.2%±2.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Foxborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	58.3%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.2%±1.4Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott and Foxborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$115,833±$9kLowest 11% above MA	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
	Swampscott and Foxborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$606,300±$28kLowest 8% above MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,843±$70Lowest 5% above MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,275Lowest 21% above MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	54%±13.7Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Foxborough are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	73.7%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1976Highest 12 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	17.8%±2.9Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#138 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Foxborough	Swampscott
High school in town	Foxborough High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.3Lowest	11.7Highest
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.