What stands out worked out from the figures below

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

Smithfield has the most people working from home (14%).

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	Lynn	Smithfield
People
Population	101,709Highest	22,233Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+12.1%Highest U.S.: +7.4%	+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	36.5±1.2Lowest 6% below U.S.	41.8±2.6Highest 7% above U.S.
Kids under 18	24.1%±1.4Highest U.S.: 22%	16.9%±2.4Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	13.7%±0.9Lowest U.S.: 17.2%	21.1%±2.1Highest U.S.: 17.2%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	24.1%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%	40%Highest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	5.4%±0.6Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	16.7%±0.9Highest U.S.: 6.4%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$75,043±$3kLowest 7% below U.S.	$102,077±$8kHighest 26% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$510,100±$23kHighest 53% above U.S.	$446,400±$12kLowest 34% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,722±$60Highest 22% above U.S.	$1,016±$241Lowest 28% below U.S.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,384Highest 73% above U.S.	$5,207Lowest 67% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	60%±4.1Highest U.S.: 51.1%	57.1%±17.7Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Lynn and Smithfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.8%Highest U.S.: 12.5%	6.2%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	48.1%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%	81.6%Highest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1946Lowest 34 yrs older than U.S.	1976Highest 4 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minHighest 19% above U.S.	25 minLowest 7% below U.S.
Work from home	7.9%±1Lowest U.S.: 15.1%	14%±3.1Highest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#277 of 282 in MA	#8 of 38 in RI
School district	Lynn	Smithfield
High school in town	Lynn English High	Smithfield High School
Students per teacherat that high school	15.0Highest	11.8Lowest
On TownTapestry
Old photos in History	None yet	None yet

U.S. 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.