What stands out worked out from the figures below

Ipswich has the shortest commute (29 min average).

Swampscott has grown the fastest since 2010 (+9.6%).

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	Swampscott
People
Population	13,930Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+4.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	47.2±3.5Highest 18% above MA	44.5±3.5Lowest 11% above MA
	Ipswich and Swampscott 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%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott 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%±2.6Lowest MA: 17.9%
	Ipswich and Swampscott 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%	62.2%Highest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	4.1%±1.3Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott 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	$134,386±$23kLowest 29% above MA
	Ipswich and Swampscott 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	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
	Swampscott and Ipswich are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,598±$90Lowest 9% below MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,960Highest 33% above MA	$7,936Lowest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	51.5%±12.2Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Ipswich 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%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1964Highest same as MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	29 minLowest about the MA average	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	18.9%±3.8Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Ipswich 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	#101 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Ipswich	Swampscott
High school in town	Ipswich High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.0Lowest	11.7Highest
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.