What stands out worked out from the figures below

Maynard has the most affordable homes ($527k median).

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	Maynard	Swampscott
People
Population	10,712Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.3%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	45.3±4.3Highest 13% above MA	44.5±3.5Lowest 11% above MA
	Maynard and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16.9%±4.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	18.2%±3.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	64.2%Highest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	3.5%±1.5Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$124,067±$16kLowest 19% above MA	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
	Swampscott and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$527,400±$31kLowest 6% below MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,800±$148Lowest about the MA average	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$8,266Highest 38% above MA	$7,936Lowest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	44.9%±9.6Lowest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Highest MA: 51.8%
	Swampscott and Maynard are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	8.3%Highest MA: 10%	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	75%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1963Highest 1 yr older than MA	1955Lowest 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	32 minLowest 9% above MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	22.9%±7.7Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Maynard 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	#166 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Maynard	Swampscott
High school in town	Maynard High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.7Lowest	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.