What stands out worked out from the figures below

Medford has the highest household income ($130k).

Beverly has the most kids (18.5% under 18).

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	Medford	Beverly
People
Population	59,354Highest	42,665Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+6.2%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+8%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	35.9±1Lowest 10% below MA	39±1.8Highest about the MA average
Kids under 18	12.7%±1.3Lowest MA: 19.4%	18.5%±1.8Highest MA: 19.4%
Age 65+	15.2%±1.3Lowest MA: 17.9%	19.4%±1.7Highest MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	59.8%Highest MA: 47.3%	53.4%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	11.2%±1.1Lowest MA: 7.9%	11.3%±0.8Highest MA: 7.9%
	Beverly and Medford are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$129,540±$8kHighest 25% above MA	$106,044±$7kLowest about the MA average
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$755,500±$23kHighest 34% above MA	$650,300±$13kLowest 16% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$2,509±$94Highest 42% above MA	$1,771±$106Lowest about the MA average
Property taxmedian, yearly	$6,286Lowest 5% above MA	$6,836Highest 14% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	41.1%±4.9Lowest MA: 51.8%	55.5%±7.2Highest MA: 51.8%
Below poverty line	7.6%Lowest MA: 10%	9.4%Highest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	54.1%Lowest MA: 62.5%	60.1%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1942Lowest 22 yrs older than MA	1956Highest 8 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	30 minHighest 4% above MA	30 minLowest 3% above MA
Work from home	26.8%±2.4Highest MA: 18.6%	22.3%±2.4Lowest MA: 18.6%
	Medford and Beverly 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	#203 of 282 in MA	#144 of 282 in MA
School district	Medford	Beverly
High school in town	Medford High	Beverly High
Students per teacherat that high school	9.2Lowest	12.2Highest
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.