What stands out worked out from the figures below

Haverhill has grown the fastest since 2010 (+11.3%).

Westfield has the most affordable homes ($325k median).

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	Westfield
People
Population	67,698Highest	40,378Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+11.3%Highest MA: +7.4%	-0.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	39.4±1.1Lowest about the MA average	39.9±1.8Highest about the MA average
	Westfield 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%	18.1%±2Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Haverhill and Westfield 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%	18.7%±1.5Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	32.6%Lowest MA: 47.3%	33.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.5%±0.6Lowest MA: 7.9%	10%±0.9Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$88,326±$4kHighest 15% below MA	$87,753±$6kLowest 16% below MA
	Haverhill and Westfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$453,900±$9kHighest 19% below MA	$325,100±$11kLowest 42% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,668±$49Highest 5% below MA	$1,117±$60Lowest 37% below MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$4,772Highest 20% below MA	$4,746Lowest 21% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60.2%±5.3Highest MA: 51.8%	46.5%±5.8Lowest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	11.3%Highest MA: 10%	10.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	62.8%Lowest MA: 62.5%	68.6%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964 same as MA	1964 same as MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	27 minHighest 6% below MA	27 minLowest 9% below MA
Work from home	12.5%±1.5Highest MA: 18.6%	8.6%±2.2Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#243 of 282 in MA	#197 of 282 in MA
School district	Haverhill · Whittier Regional Vocational Technical	Westfield
High school in town	Haverhill High	Westfield High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.5Highest	11.9Lowest
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.