What stands out worked out from the figures below

Haverhill has the most affordable homes ($454k median).

Andover has the most people working from home (30.4%).

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	Haverhill	Andover
People
Population	67,698Highest	36,652Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+10.1%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.4±1.1Lowest about the MA average	42.9±1Highest 7% above MA
Kids under 18	21.3%±1.5Lowest MA: 19.4%	23.6%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
	Andover and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	15.5%±1.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	16%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Andover and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%	75.6%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	8.1%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,326±$4kLowest 15% below MA	$172,606±$16kHighest 66% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$453,900±$9kLowest 19% below MA	$855,600±$22kHighest 52% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,668±$49Lowest 5% below MA	$2,201±$129Highest 25% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,772Lowest 20% below MA	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.2%±5.3Highest MA: 51.8%	39.7%±7.7Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest MA: 10%	2.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	79.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest same as MA	1973Highest 9 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 6% below MA	29 minHighest about the MA average
Work from home	12.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 18.6%	30.4%±2.1Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#243 of 282 in MA	#68 of 282 in MA
School district	Haverhill · Whittier Regional Vocational Technical	Andover · Greater Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
High school in town	Haverhill High	Gr Lawrence Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	12.8Highest
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.