What stands out worked out from the figures below

Framingham has the most people working from home (19.6%).

Peabody has the oldest population (median age 45.3).

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	Framingham	Peabody
People
Population	72,399Highest	54,695Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6.3%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	37.5±1Lowest 6% below MA	45.3±2.4Highest 13% above MA
Kids under 18	21.7%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%	18.7%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Framingham and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.1%±1.1Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.3%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	35%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	4.4%±0.8Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,419±$6kHighest 3% above MA	$96,657±$4kLowest 7% below MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$627,300±$10kHighest 12% above MA	$596,200±$12kLowest 6% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,033±$57Highest 15% above MA	$1,950±$99Lowest 11% above MA
	Framingham and Peabody are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,884Highest 15% above MA	$5,065Lowest 15% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±5.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	58.3%±5.9Highest MA: 51.8%
	Peabody and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	10.4%Highest MA: 10%	7.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	65.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966 2 yrs newer than MA	1966 2 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	26 minLowest 11% below MA
Work from home	19.6%±2.2Highest MA: 18.6%	10.3%±1.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#229 of 282 in MA	#228 of 282 in MA
School district	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical	Peabody
High school in town	Framingham High School	Peabody Veterans Memorial High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	10.3Lowest
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.