What stands out worked out from the figures below

Framingham has the most renters (45.2% rent).

Swampscott has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Swampscott
People
Population	72,399Highest	15,277Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.9%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	37.5±1Lowest 6% below MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
Kids under 18	21.7%±1.6Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Framingham and Swampscott 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%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.7%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	6.5%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Framingham and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$107,419±$6kLowest 3% above MA	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
	Swampscott and Framingham are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$627,300±$10kLowest 12% above MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,033±$57Lowest 15% above MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,884Lowest 15% above MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	53.4%±5.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott 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%	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1966Highest 2 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minLowest 4% above MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	19.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#229 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Framingham · South Middlesex Regional Vocational Technical	Swampscott
High school in town	Framingham High School	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.7Lowest
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.