What stands out worked out from the figures below

Haverhill has the most renters (37.2% rent).

Methuen has the highest household income ($113k).

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	Methuen
People
Population	67,698Highest	53,475Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3% MA: +7.4%	—
Median age	39.4±1.1Lowest about the MA average	39.9±1.7Highest about the MA average
	Methuen and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±1.5 MA: 19.4%	21.3%±1.7 MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	15.5%±1.2Lowest MA: 17.9%	17.2%±1.3Highest MA: 17.9%
	Methuen 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%Highest MA: 47.3%	31%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	6.7%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,326±$4kLowest 15% below MA	$113,310±$7kHighest 9% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$453,900±$9kLowest 19% below MA	$499,700±$17kHighest 11% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,668±$49Lowest 5% below MA	$1,749±$91Highest about the MA average
	Methuen and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,772Lowest 20% below MA	$5,061Highest 16% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.2%±5.3Highest MA: 51.8%	48.4%±6.5Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest MA: 10%	7.9%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	72.3%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest same as MA	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 6% below MA	28 minHighest 5% below MA
Work from home	12.5%±1.5Highest MA: 18.6%	12.2%±2.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Haverhill and Methuen are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#243 of 282 in MA	#236 of 282 in MA
School district	Haverhill · Whittier Regional Vocational Technical	Methuen
High school in town	Haverhill High	Methuen High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Lowest	13.1Highest
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.