What stands out worked out from the figures below

Lowell has the most people working from home (10.8%).

Topsfield has the most affordable homes ($142k 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	Lowell	Topsfield
People
Population	378Highest	214Lowest
Median age	55.5±8.6Lowest 24% above ME	63.5±4.9Highest 42% above ME
	Topsfield and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	13.2%±4.4Highest ME: 18.1%	13.1%±10.4Lowest ME: 18.1%
	Lowell and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	31.2%±4.7Lowest ME: 22.4%	44.9%±12.5Highest ME: 22.4%
	Topsfield and Lowell are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	30%Highest ME: 36.2%	14.4%Lowest ME: 36.2%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	1.9%±1.9Highest ME: 5.8%	0.9%±5.3Lowest ME: 5.8%
	Lowell and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$50,833±$31kHighest 32% below ME	$48,125±$16kLowest 36% below ME
	Lowell and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$209,700±$30kHighest 29% below ME	$141,700±$32kLowest 52% below ME
Property taxmedian, yearly	$1,478Highest 51% below ME	$957Lowest 68% below ME
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	80%±100 ME: 48.4%	—
Below poverty line	10.8%Lowest ME: 10.7%	13.1%Highest ME: 10.7%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	88.5%Lowest ME: 74.3%	95.1%Highest ME: 74.3%
Typical home builtmedian year	1990Highest 13 yrs newer than ME	1969Lowest 8 yrs older than ME
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	31 minLowest 24% above ME	34 minHighest 39% above ME
Work from home	10.8%±5.7Highest ME: 15.9%	5.1%±6.2Lowest ME: 15.9%
	Lowell and Topsfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Schools
School district	—	East Range CSD
High school in town	—	None in town
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

ME 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.