What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medfield has the highest household income ($236k).

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	Medfield	Swampscott
People
Population	13,068Lowest	15,277Highest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.4%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	42.4±3Lowest 6% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	28.2%±4Highest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Lowest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	15.4%±2.4Lowest MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6Highest MA: 17.9%
	Swampscott and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	78.1%Highest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	2.7%±1Lowest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Highest MA: 7.9%
	Swampscott and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$235,800±$32kHighest 127% above MA	$134,386±$23kLowest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$911,100±$32kHighest 62% above MA	$771,100±$41kLowest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,035±$559Lowest 15% above MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
	Swampscott and Medfield are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Property taxmedian, yearly	$10,000+Highest at least 67% above MA	$7,936Lowest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	63.1%±20.9Highest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Medfield and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	2.1%Lowest MA: 10%	7.1%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	86.1%Highest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Lowest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1970Highest 6 yrs newer 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	36.6%±4.8Highest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Lowest MA: 18.6%
Schools
Public school scoresrank in state, math + reading	#26 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Medfield	Swampscott
High school in town	Medfield Senior High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	12.7Highest	11.7Lowest
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.