What stands out worked out from the figures below

Kingston has grown the fastest since 2010 (+8.5%).

Fairhaven has the most affordable homes ($447k 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	Kingston	Fairhaven
People
Population	14,027Lowest	15,903Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+8.5%Highest MA: +7.4%	+0.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%
Median age	46.5±3.9Lowest 16% above MA	48.5±3.4Highest 21% above MA
	Fairhaven and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	19.9%±3.2Highest MA: 19.4%	16.9%±2.7Lowest MA: 19.4%
	Kingston and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	22.8%±3.7Lowest MA: 17.9%	24.9%±2.9Highest MA: 17.9%
	Fairhaven and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	48.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	32.5%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	3.3%±1Highest MA: 7.9%
	Fairhaven and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$119,876±$13kHighest 15% above MA	$95,965±$19kLowest 8% below MA
	Kingston and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$610,600±$30kHighest 9% above MA	$446,700±$19kLowest 21% below MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,159±$244Highest 34% below MA	$1,118±$79Lowest 37% below MA
	Kingston and Fairhaven are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$7,650Highest 28% above MA	$3,566Lowest 40% below MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	35.9%±13Lowest MA: 51.8%	51.1%±14Highest MA: 51.8%
	Fairhaven and Kingston are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	3.1%Lowest MA: 10%	8.3%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	81.2%Highest MA: 62.5%	74.4%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1982Highest 18 yrs newer than MA	1952Lowest 12 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	35 minHighest 20% above MA	29 minLowest about the MA average
Work from home	19.5%±4.9Highest MA: 18.6%	11.4%±3.3Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Kingston and Fairhaven 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	#99 of 282 in MA	#126 of 282 in MA
School district	Kingston · Silver Lake	Fairhaven
High school in town	Silver Lake Regional High	Fairhaven High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.0Highest	11.4Lowest
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.