What stands out worked out from the figures below

Harvard has the most people working from home (44.8%).

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	Harvard	Swampscott
People
Population	6,927Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+5.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	44.1±4.7Lowest 10% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.1%±4.5Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Harvard and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	16.3%±2.8Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62%Lowest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott and Harvard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$213,996±$24kHighest 106% above MA	$134,386±$23kLowest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$833,600±$54kHighest 48% above MA	$771,100±$41kLowest 37% above MA
	Harvard and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,321±$424Lowest 25% below MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$7,936Lowest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	72.5%±51.5Highest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Harvard and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.5%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	89.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1975Highest 11 yrs newer than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 9% above MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	44.8%±6.1Highest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#12 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Harvard	Swampscott
High school in town	The Bromfield High School	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	11.0Lowest	11.7Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	12 photos →	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.