What stands out worked out from the figures below

Haverhill has the most people working from home (12.5%).

Rochester has the most homeowners (88.1%).

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	Rochester
People
Population	67,698Highest	5,837Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	+9.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.4±1.1Lowest about the MA average	46.5±6Highest 16% above MA
	Rochester and Haverhill are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	21.3%±1.5Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±4.6Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Haverhill and Rochester 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%	20.1%±4.2Highest MA: 17.9%
	Rochester 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%	43.5%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±0.6Highest MA: 7.9%	4%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%
	Haverhill and Rochester are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,326±$4kLowest 15% below MA	$120,273±$12kHighest 16% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$453,900±$9kLowest 19% below MA	$599,100±$31kHighest 7% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,668±$49Highest 5% below MA	$1,432±$743Lowest 19% below MA
	Haverhill and Rochester 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	$6,530Highest 9% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.2%±5.3Highest MA: 51.8%	39.1%±10.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest MA: 10%	5.4%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	88.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest same as MA	1984Highest 20 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minLowest 6% below MA	37 minHighest 25% above MA
Work from home	12.5%±1.5Highest MA: 18.6%	8.3%±3.7Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Haverhill and Rochester 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	#104 of 282 in MA
School district	Haverhill · Whittier Regional Vocational Technical	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical · Rochester
High school in town	Haverhill High	Old Colony Regional Vocational Technical
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	9.1Lowest
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.