What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Natick has grown the fastest since 2010 (+12.1%).

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	Ipswich	Natick
People
Population	13,930Lowest	36,873Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+12.1%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±3.5Highest 18% above MA	43.3±1.4Lowest 8% above MA
	Ipswich and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	18.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%	21.2%±1.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Natick and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	21.9%±2.4Highest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±1.9Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Ipswich and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	60.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%	70.8%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	5%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Natick and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$138,750±$16kHighest 33% above MA	$138,538±$11kLowest 33% above MA
	Ipswich and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$745,400±$40kLowest 33% above MA	$821,000±$25kHighest 46% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,598±$90Lowest 9% below MA	$2,134±$124Highest 21% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,960Lowest 33% above MA	$8,914Highest 49% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±12.2Highest MA: 51.8%	41.7%±6.6Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Ipswich and Natick are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	5.7%Lowest MA: 10%	5.8%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Highest MA: 62.5%	68.2%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Lowest same as MA	1968Highest 4 yrs newer than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	31 minHighest 5% above MA
Work from home	18.9%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	25.1%±1.9Highest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#101 of 282 in MA	#48 of 282 in MA
School district	Ipswich	Natick
High school in town	Ipswich High	Natick High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	12.6Highest
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.