What stands out worked out from the figures below

Northampton has the most affordable homes ($430k 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	Northampton	Swampscott
People
Population	30,962Highest	15,277Lowest
Growth since 20102010 → 2020 census	+3.6%Lowest MA: +7.4%	+9.6%Highest MA: +7.4%
Median age	41.3±2.2Lowest 3% above MA	44.5±3.5Highest 11% above MA
	Swampscott and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Kids under 18	16%±1.8Lowest MA: 19.4%	20.1%±2.9Highest MA: 19.4%
	Swampscott and Northampton are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Age 65+	20.4%±1.7 MA: 17.9%	20.4%±2.6 MA: 17.9%
Bachelor’s degree+adults 25+	62.7%Highest MA: 47.3%	62.2%Lowest MA: 47.3%
Enrolled in collegeshare of residents	14%±1.4Highest MA: 7.9%	4.7%±1.7Lowest MA: 7.9%
Cost of living
Household incomemedian	$80,288±$6kLowest 23% below MA	$134,386±$23kHighest 29% above MA
Home valuemedian, owner-occupied	$429,700±$17kLowest 24% below MA	$771,100±$41kHighest 37% above MA
Rentmedian gross, monthly	$1,439±$75Lowest 18% below MA	$2,303±$143Highest 31% above MA
Property taxmedian, yearly	$5,680Lowest 5% below MA	$7,936Highest 32% above MA
Renters paying 30%+of income on rent	57.6%±6.7Highest MA: 51.8%	57%±14.2Lowest MA: 51.8%
	Northampton and Swampscott are within the Census margin of error here, so we can’t say which is really higher.
Below poverty line	13.4%Highest MA: 10%	7.1%Lowest MA: 10%
Housing
Homeownersof occupied homes	57.3%Lowest MA: 62.5%	75.9%Highest MA: 62.5%
Typical home builtmedian year	1955 9 yrs older than MA	1955 9 yrs older than MA
Getting to work
Average commuteone way	21 minLowest 26% below MA	34 minHighest 18% above MA
Work from home	24.1%±3.4Lowest MA: 18.6%	27.2%±4.6Highest MA: 18.6%
	Swampscott and Northampton 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	#159 of 282 in MA	#76 of 282 in MA
School district	Northampton · Northampton-Smith Vocational Agricultural	Swampscott
High school in town	Northampton High	Swampscott High
Students per teacherat that high school	14.7Highest	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.