What stands out worked out from the figures below

Marblehead has the most people working from home (34%).

Salem has the most affordable homes ($473k 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	Marblehead	Salem
People
Population	20,413Lowest	30,964Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.2%Lowest U.S.: +7.4%	+4.6%Highest U.S.: +7.4%
Median age	49.1±2Highest 26% above U.S.	44.6±2.7Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	22.3%±2.5Highest U.S.: 22%	16.2%±2.1Lowest U.S.: 22%
Age 65+	22.7%±2.5Highest U.S.: 17.2%	18.6%±1.7Lowest U.S.: 17.2%
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	78.3%Highest U.S.: 35.7%	38.7%Lowest U.S.: 35.7%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.8%±1Lowest U.S.: 6.4%	4.3%±1Highest U.S.: 6.4%
	Salem and Marblehead are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$182,132±$28kHighest 126% above U.S.	$110,490±$9kLowest 37% above U.S.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$943,900±$31kHighest 184% above U.S.	$473,300±$16kLowest 42% above U.S.
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,764±$147Highest 25% above U.S.	$1,625±$146Lowest 15% above U.S.
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,309Highest 166% above U.S.	$6,992Lowest 124% above U.S.
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	49.5%±8.8Highest U.S.: 51.1%	44.5%±9.6Lowest U.S.: 51.1%
	Marblehead and Salem are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	4.4%Lowest U.S.: 12.5%	5%Highest U.S.: 12.5%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	85.2%Highest U.S.: 65.2%	75.6%Lowest U.S.: 65.2%
Typical home builtmedian year	1944Lowest 36 yrs older than U.S.	1977Highest 3 yrs older than U.S.
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	33 minHighest 25% above U.S.	29 minLowest 10% above U.S.
Work from home	34%±3.6Highest U.S.: 15.1%	16.3%±2.9Lowest U.S.: 15.1%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#47 of 282 in MA	#38 of 120 in NH
School district	Marblehead	Salem School District
High school in town	Marblehead High	Salem High School
Students per teacherat that high school	10.7Lowest	11.2Highest
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.