What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ipswich has the most affordable homes ($745k median).

Milton has the most people working from home (29.7%).

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	Ipswich	Milton
People
Population	13,930Lowest	28,587Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±3.5Highest 18% above MA	41.1±1.8Lowest about the MA average
Kids under 18	18.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	25.3%±2.2Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	21.9%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%	16.1%±1.8Lowest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	71.9%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	9.7%±1.1Highest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,750±$16kLowest 33% above MA	$188,529±$15kHighest 81% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$745,400±$40kLowest 33% above MA	$933,200±$31kHighest 66% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,598±$90Highest 9% below MA	$1,474±$281Lowest 16% below MA
	Ipswich and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,960Lowest 33% above MA	$9,677Highest 61% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±12.2Highest MA: 51.8%	45.7%±20.9Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Ipswich and Milton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Highest MA: 10%	4.7%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	85.2%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest same as MA	1945Lowest 19 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	31 minHighest 8% above MA
Work from home	18.9%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	29.7%±2.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#101 of 282 in MA	#55 of 282 in MA
School district	Ipswich	Milton
High school in town	Ipswich High	Milton High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	12.4Highest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	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.